A Different Way to a Perfect Ending
by angyxoxo
Summary: -COMPLETE- After Antarctica, Rogue finds Remy in New Orleans who seemingly doesn't want the Southern Belle anymore. So how will Rogue cope when she finds out that she will have to raise their child alone?
1. Unsuccessful Journey

Y'all know the dilly yo, that I don't own these characters, marvel or anything else. Blah blah blah

- Takes place after Uncanny X-Men #350. Enough said.

**Author's Note:** I really don't want to be fucking doing this. I am so pissed off at ff.net. I worked so fucking hard at my other account and built a rather respectable reputation to have it all deleted within a stroke of a key. Fuck this is pissing. At least, I'm fixing up this wretched story of mine. I'm practically re-writing every thing except for the plot. Still pissed off though. Son of a mother-fing btch! Please excuse my frustration.

**A Different Way to a Perfect Ending**  
  
**Chapter 1**  
  
On a cold clear night in New York City, if one were to look hard enough in the sky, he would see two distinctive streaks of white streaming across the black velvet of a sky. If one were to look even closer, he would realize that the two streaks of white belonged to a beautiful woman who was undoubtedly a mutant. And if one were to have an incredible sense of vision, he would see that the woman's face was stained with tears, evident in the puffiness around her eyes. The woman was simply known to everyone as Rogue. 

When she reached the rooftop of her home, the Xavier Institute for Higher Learning, she landed lightly on her feet. Her body faced the direction where she came from as she thought about the unsuccessful journey. Her throat choked up as she realized that every journey she had taken in the last month was unsuccessful. No matter how hard she looked, and boy did she look hard this time, he was never found. It meant that it only added to her pain, regret, and guilt. Most importantly, it made that vast vacant space in her heart feel even emptier than it already did. 

_Crack._

The sudden noise immediately caused her to turn around, and his name slipped from her mouth even before she could stop herself. "Remy?" As soon as she realized who it was, her eyes filled with disappointed tears as she turned her back on the visitor.   
  
"Sorry, Rogue. It's just me." The visitor also a close friend and teammate of hers apologized.  
  
"Whatever." Rogue muttered as she continued to stare across the vast land before her.

"Been here for a while, darlin?" Logan asked as he took a cigar out from his pocket.

"No." Rogue simply responded.

"Okay then." Logan murmured and lit his cigar. The two friends stood in silence as Rogue hugged herself tighter to generate more heat, while Logan smoked his cigar and blew a few smoke rings.

Finally, Rogue asked, "what are ya doing up here anyway?"   
  
"Just needed some fresh air. Thought I heard a noise up here too. Had a feeling it would be you. So… been looking for the Cajun again?" Logan stated more than asked.  
  
"Ah was…"  
  
"You don't have to explain, darlin," interrupted Logan. "I know you were. Rogue, this has been the fifth time this week. You're not going to find him."  
  
"And how the hell do ya know that?" Rogue snapped at the short Canadian and glared at him with her intense fiery green eyes.   
  
"Ya can look all ya want, but if he doesn't want to be found. He won't be found. That's one thing I've learned about the Cajun. He wouldn't be a thief if he couldn't hide well." Logan reasoned and took another puff of his cigar.

"How can ya be so sure? How do ya know he ain't dead? How do ya know he's fine? Oh God… what have ah done?" Rogue said for about the thousandth time since she had let go of his hand over the cold barren land of the Antarctic. Immediately following her break down, she sank to her knees and buried her face in her gloved hands.   
  
Logan released a soft sigh as he put out the cigar and took a seat next to her. He placed a comforting arm over her shoulders and pondered for a bit before he said, "Darlin', ya gotta stop blaming yourself for this mess. We could have all went back for him, but we didn't. It's as much our fault as anyone's. And I can't even begin on the pain ya must have felt when you basically experienced the morlock massacre first hand after you absorbed the Cajun. Your mind was messed up from all that hurt. You couldn't think straight. It's not your fault. And Gambit ain't dead. You would feel it if he was, and I'm sure you don't feel it just yet. If you did, you wouldn't go looking for him every night. So, please, darlin' just stop blaming yourself and get some rest. Gumbo will come home when he's good and ready." 

After hearing Logan's comforting words, Rogue leaned her head on Logan's shoulder as the flow of her tears eventually subsided. Her breathing became regular once more and she pulled back from Logan to stare into his soft brown eyes. "Thank ya, Wolvie. Ah really need that." She expressed her gratitude and gave him a small smile.   
  
Logan returned the sentiment by smiling in return. "Anytime, hun. Always here when ya need me."

"Sometimes, ah forget that but ah'll try to remember that from now on." Rogue responded.

"Good. Now are you coming or not?" Logan asked as he got up on to his feet and extended a hand for her to take.

Rogue didn't make an effort to budge as she continued to sit on the rooftop while gazing across the darkness. "Not yet. Ah will in a second though. Right now, Ah just need t'get mah head straight, if that's okay?"

"It's more than okay. Take all the time ya need, darlin. I'll see ya later." Logan said and left the same way he appeared from.   
  
In actuality, it would be a good while before Rogue found the strength to leave the rooftop and return to her room.

-xoxo-

It was half-past twelve when Rogue finally flew through her bedroom window. She knew that Kitty Pryde's room was next to hers, and that Kitty was a light sleeper. Thus, that explained why Rogue never landed on the floor as she opted to hover a few inches above it instead. She floated towards her dresser and opened it to grab some items for her shower. When her change of clothes was in hand, she glided towards her door but her hand pulled back from the doorknob when she heard two voices whispering on the other side. Not wanting to disturb whoever they were that were speaking outside her door, Rogue opted to lean closer to the door and eavesdrop on whoever's conversation she was listening to.  
  
"I'm sure I saw him, we need to tell her." Whispered the unmistakable voice of Kitty Pryde.   
  
"You are not a hundred percent sure that it was him. It could have been a man that resembled him. And even if it was him, is it our place to inform her? We do not know if he even wants to see any of us X-Men anymore, let alone her. We don't know his plans. We don't know what he's doing now. We are not sure of anything. Thus, it would be careless of us to inform her and get her hopes up when we aren't even a hundred percent positive that it is him and that he does want to see her." Ororo reasoned as rationally as she could.   
  
Rogue pressed her ear against the door and listened even more intently. She had a hunch that they were referring to her and Remy. She couldn't shake the feeling that they might have found him. But at the same time, she didn't want to barge into their conversation unless she knew for sure that was whom they were talking about. That was why she opted to eavesdrop instead.   
  
"We can't keep this from her. She needs to know. Have you see how messed up she has become? Maybe this will resolve whatever they had." Kitty rationalized.

"Or it could just make the situation more painful and unnecessary. We do not know if he even wants to see her after what she did to him. Then, there's a matter of Rogue. We tell her now, she'll fly down there and look for him. What if you have mistaken another person for him? We would only add to her disappointment and hurt." Ororo argued back.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Kitty asked.

"I suggest that we go on a little mission down there and see if it really is Remy. If he is, we'll tell Rogue. If he isn't, Rogue wouldn't have had her hopes up for nothing." Ororo advised.   
  
"Fine, we'll do it your way. The last thing I would want to do is put Rogue over the edge." Kitty agreed. The two women walked away from Rogue's room while Rogue finally landed on to the floor with her feet. She was completely speechless at this point. She knew whom it was that they were talking about. She knew that if they had told her right then and there, there would have been no hesitation to fly down to wherever he was and confront him. But, they hadn't told her and that was the small difference in the whole situation.

The last thing she wanted was to have her hopes crushed, and Kitty was right when she said that she would be more than disappointed if it wasn't Remy. Then, Ororo made the point that he probably didn't even want to see her. After all, it was her that had let him fall to his death. It was her who had told him that she loved him unconditionally only to throw him away as if he meant nothing to her at all. What right could she possibly have to barge into his life again? She had no explanation for what she had done. She had no incentive. She would only bring up the pain that might have already subsided in his heart. Basically, she would only hurt him more and that was something she didn't want.

The clothes in her hand fell to the ground as she walked back towards her bed. She took off her uniform and allowed it to slip off her body. Then she reached for the oversize black t-shirt that hung off the right post of her bed. She slipped it on and hugged it tight, while smelling the scent that he always exerted – a mixture of spices and cigarettes. The tears formed once again and a sigh escaped her lips. She climbed into bed and threw the covers over herself.

Suddenly, she felt rather cold.

---------------------------------------


	2. Unexpected News

Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own marvel, or these characters, blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** I re-wrote this whole chapter. Nothing from the original chapter is included in this one. This chapter is longer than the first by a thousand words. I do not know what the hell I'm thinking but I'm sure this will go on for this entire story, or most of it for that matter. I am insane right now. Thank you.

**A Different Way to a Perfect Ending**

Her head was hung over the toilet as her hands gripped onto the edge of it. Another round spewed from her mouth as she tightened her grip on the edge of the toilet seat. When she felt her stomach calm down, she sat down again and threw her head back. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead as she hastily wiped it away with the back of her hand. She was exhausted, and she had never remembered a time when her body felt so weak. It had to be food poisoning, she thought as she recalled the 'authentic' Moroccan dinner Kitty had cooked the night before. At least Rogue learned to never trust Kitty's cooking ever again. The girl had never even been to Morocco, Rogue realized as an exasperated sigh escaped her lips.

                Feeling that her stomach felt all right again, she slowly got up off the floor. She flushed the toilet and walked towards the sink. One look into the mirror made her quickly turn away. She turned the knob and water spouted from the faucet. She filled a handful and splashed it all over her face.

                The cool water felt nice after half an hour of throwing up, she thought.

                Then, she turned the water off and grabbed for a towel. While patting her face dry, she found the courage to look into the mirror again.  There were dark bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess, and her skin looked drier than she had ever seen it before. She could barely recognize herself and that was definitely a disheartening feeling.

                But it probably wasn't half as bad as what Remy was going through, and he had to be going through something for if it was to be otherwise, there was a possibility that he could be dead. She shook her head to the clear the thoughts of him being dead. He couldn't possibly be dead. She would feel it; she would know it. Their bond was that strong.

                But it wasn't strong enough for her to hold onto his hand, her head reminded her.

                The tears formed once more as she turned away from the mirror. It had been two weeks since she had eavesdropped on Ororo and Kitty's conversation. It had been two months since she had last seen Remy. Regardless of the length of time, her love for him was still there and it was stronger than ever. If only they had gone through the trial now, she knew she wouldn't have let go. If only there was a second chance, she thought desperately. She shook her head repeatedly once more as the realization sunk in. There would never be a second chance to right the wrong. For her to even think that there could be was selfish in itself. Perhaps, selfish was all she was.

                The towel dropped from her hand and onto the sink counter. She walked towards the door as she tried to suppress the thoughts of him on her mind. She didn't deserve his love. She didn't deserve him. There was no point in wishing for the impossible. As she exited the bathroom, she ran straight into a big blue furry blur. It turned out to be Hank McCoy.

                "Rogue, my dear, are you alright?" He asked as he steadied her with his massive furry arm.

                "Yeah…ah'm fine. Ah'm sorry. Ah didn't see ya there." Rogue apologized as she tried to regain her composure. For some reason though, she was feeling rather weak which was quite a remarkable fact, considering that normally she could lift over a thousand times her weight.

                "No. I was completely at fault. Take a deep breath, Rogue." Hank advised and she did just that as she grasped onto his arm.

                "You are looking rather pale. Are you feeling alright?" Hank asked concernedly as he studied her pale face and unusual meekness.

                "Yes, Ah'm fine. Ah've just been throwing up all morning. Ah think it was that dinner Kitty cooked last night. Ah knew the duck tasted funny…" Rogue explained as she continued to take deep breaths of air.

                "It might be just that, but regardless, I would like to examine you to ensure that it is indeed a simple stomach flu so we could also prescribe the right antibiotics to take care of this matter, and hopefully bring some colour back to those cheeks of yours." Hank suggested.

                "It's alright, Hank. Ah'll be fine in a few hours. It should go away by then. It has happened before." Rogue declined.

                "My dear, to be completely overbearing and somewhat condescending, don't forget that I am the doctor here so I would know what would be best. But most importantly, I am your friend and I only want what is best for you. Thus, it would be beneficial if you would let me examine you to ensure that you are healthy." Hank insisted more persistently.

                A defeated sigh escaped Rogue's lips while she rolled her eyes. "Fine fine. Ya are the doctor. But Ah'll show ya that it ain't nothing but a little stomach flu."

                "I'm sure you will. Let's head on down to the medical lab." Hank said and with a supportive arm for Rogue to take, he led her down there right away.

-xoxo-

                "So, how am ah? Let me guess… ah have a clean bill of health minus the stomach flu, right?" Rogue guessed confidently with her back to Hank while she slipped her clothes back on.

                "Well, you definitely are healthy but I figure that does depends on what you define healthy to be." Hank replied vaguely.

                Dressed once again, she turned around to face Hank. "What are ya talking 'bout, sugah?" She asked inquisitively.

                "I do not really know how to put this… but when we were in Antarctica, and with your powers neutralized…"

                "Are ya askin' if Remy and ah consummated our love?" Rogue interrupted him with her forthright question.

                "Yes, Rogue. That is exactly what I'm inquiring." Hank agreed.

                "Well to be frank, that we did. But it shouldn't be a surprise t'ya." Rogue told him and shrugged her shoulders indifferently.

                "Then, I believe I know what is behind your ailment. My sweet Rogue, this morning you weren't throwing up because of Kitty's questionable culinary skills. You were actually experiencing your first morning sickness." Hank explained with an encouraging smile. His smile didn't help though as Rogue's expression displayed horror while the news sunk in. She was pregnant. She was pregnant with Remy's child. She was pregnant with the child of the man she had let fall to his death.

                She felt her knees go weak, as she leaned back against the examining table. Hank rushed to her side to support her as she looked at him with utter bewilderment.

                "There has t'be a mistake, Hank! This can't happen. It's not supposed to happen!" Rogue exclaimed desperately as she waited for Hank to confirm that she was indeed right. Hank, however, shook his head in disagreement and said, "I'm sorry, Rogue. But it is true. You are pregnant."

                Her hand intuitively rested on her stomach as Hank's words sunk in. Then, she realized what she had done. She had killed the father of her baby, or at least hurt him so intensely that he might as well be dead. The tears spilled uncontrollably as she wrapped her arms around Hank.

                "Ah can't do this, Hank. Not without him. Not without Remy. This is his child, what am ah gonna tell it? That ah killed it's father? Ah can't do this by myself. This isn't supposed to happen." Rogue rambled with immense fear and regret.

                "Rogue, it will be fine. You will be fine. As much as you believe this isn't supposed to happen, it has very well happened. Your child will love and forgive you. Do not be afraid." Hank said soothingly as he rubbed her back.

                "How can ah not be afraid, Hank? Ah don't know how to be a mother! Ah never even had one of my own… and trust me, when ah say that Mystique was not a good example. Ah can't do this. Ah just can't." Rogue mumbled as the tears continued to flow.

                "Do not believe that. You will be a wonderful mother, and your child will be safe and happy and will love you for all that you will do for it. This is an amazing thing, Rogue. Please believe that." Hank said comfortingly.

                "How can't it be amazing? Mah baby's not gonna have a father because of me! Do ya realize that ah robbed mah child from having an amazing man t'call it's father? As long as it was me losing Remy, ah could deal wit' it. Ah could deal wit' the consequences. But it's his child and because of me, the baby hasn't even been born with it, and will carry the pain of never knowing his father. How will mah baby ever forgive me for throwing his father away?" Rogue asked through her sobs.

                Hank gently pulled her back from him and stared at her straight in the eyes. "Rogue, listen to me. Your child will love and honour you simply because of the love you already have for it. This child will forgive you when it knows of the circumstances you were under. You have absolutely nothing to be afraid about. You will not be going through this alone either. There is a house full of friends who love you and will support you through this journey. You have the strength within you to be a wonderful mother, and I know you know you do. So, my dear, do not shed any more tears of remorse for this child is a blessing in disguise." Hank stated.

                "Ya sure, Hank?" Rogue asked, as she fished for a confirmation.

                "I'm positive, darling. Now, wipe those tears away. Today is a brand new day and prior to what you believed, it really is a glorious day. But, I must advise you to rest up, and do not participate in any dangerous activities that might harm the baby. And sweetheart, that does include the nighttime trips to halfway around the world. From now on, night shall mean sleep like it is supposed to mean. Furthermore, you can rest assure that I will be here all the way until the birth of your beautiful child. I will ensure that there will be no complications and that you give birth to a gorgeous bouncing bun of joy." Hank said with a huge comforting smile plastered on his face.

                Rogue smiled lightly as well after she heard her friend and also, doctor's words. She gave him a huge hug and said, "thank ya, Hank. Ah really appreciate it."

                "No need for that, Rogue. We have known each other for too long that it simply isn't necessary." Hank said and hugged her back.

                "But ah'll say it anyway. Thank ya." She stated once more and pulled back from him.

                "Hank, one more thing…" She began and shifted nervously.

                "I'm listening." Hank answered.

                "Can we not tell anyone about this yet? Ah don't think ah'm ready." Rogue requested softly.

                "Rogue, first of all, I'm your doctor. I took an oath of respecting my patients' private matters so it is no place of mine to tell anyone about this. Furthermore, I would never tell anyone without your permission, no matter what the circumstances. So, you have my word that I will not utter a single peep over this matter." Hank assured her.

                "Thank ya, Hank. Thank ya so… oh gawd, not again!" Rogue said as she covered her mouth and ran in search for the nearest bathroom.

                Hank simply watched her go and chuckled lightly. He had a feeling that everything would work out for his southern gal pal.

-----------------------------------------------


	3. Incentives

Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own marvel, or these characters, blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** This chapter was completely re-written. I didn't keep many of the original chapter's elements, as some of you might be able to tell. For example, I wrote Joseph into the story because I felt it was necessary, thus, deleting the awkward Bobby conversation from the original chapter. This whole story is going to be practically a new story. The original was too simple in emotions and feelings and was completely unrealistic. I personally, despise the original story or at least how I wrote it. So, this is hoping that I will not lose my sanity re-writing this story and everyone will enjoy this version a bit more :)

**A Different Way to a Perfect Ending**

Her hand rested on her abdominal while her eyes remained closed. Seemingly, she looked serene and at peace. In actuality, she was far from that. The thoughts in her head were running a mile a minute. They circulated around the news she had found out earlier from her ever so faithful furry doctor. Herself, she had a little less faith. Raising a child with someone was hard enough as it was, but raising a child by herself, now, that would take an inner strength that she wasn't quite sure she had.

                Despite Hank's reassuring words that she would be fine as a mother, she didn't believe it one bit. Sure, she had nodded her head in agreement when he was holding her, and he did bring her comfort. But she realized that she could never be possibly fine again. She had dropped the love of her life to a harsh cold freezing death. Now, she was pregnant with his child, and she had absolutely no idea how to tell her baby that she was responsible for him or her not having a father.

                Rogue turned over in bed on her side, as she pressed her hand firmer onto the area of where the baby was lying inside of her. Her eyes squeezed tighter as she suppressed the tears that desperately wanted out. She had enough of crying. That was all she had done for the last two months. When she was younger, she had always hated crying. Crying was a form of weakness, and with her mutation, she couldn't afford to be weak. With child now, that seemed to be the ultimate incentive not to cry. Even if she felt weak within, she wouldn't express it on the exterior. If she did, she wasn't sure how she could ever function normally in life ever again, well, whatever was considered 'normal' for her at least.

                She tossed over onto her other side restlessly as she glanced at her alarm clock. It flashed a bright red seven thirty. It was seven thirty in the morning, and she had a danger room session in approximately an hour and a half ago. Scott had checked up on her, being the domineering but also caring leader that he was. She, however, feigned sickness due to the 'stomach flu' everyone thought she had, and was rightfully excused from the training session. She was slightly surprised that Scott had excused her from the session, but she could tell that the fight him and Jean had the other day may have had a part in his kind decision.

                Maybe she should have gone through with the training session after all. It would have been better than moping around in her room all day. It wasn't as if she couldn't handle the session physically. Her body hadn't change that much. Then, she remembered that she skipped out on the session because she couldn't face her teammates. She could feel that they were judging her somehow, whether good or bad. Bobby and Warren seemed somewhat proud of her for getting rid of Remy, both with their own personal reasons. Their looks of appreciation only made her sick to her stomach. Then, there was Betsy, Ororo and Jean. The three ladies were her friends, yet, she couldn't help but feel that they had their own convictions of Rogue and even though, they continued their façade of being her caring friends, Rogue knew that they must have resented her somewhat for leaving a teammate behind. The only ones that didn't seem to judge her were Hank, Kurt and Logan. The three men seemed to understand the situation better than she understood it herself. And all three men had faith that Remy was indeed alive, something that she didn't have much of.

                _Remy._

                The thought of him freed her persistent tears that finally were able to slide down her cheeks as all the regret and guilt resurfaced. She was convinced that she loved him. She told him it was unconditional. She had meant it with every breath in her. So, what possessed her to do the one thing she never intended to do to him, she wondered as the tears fell uncontrollably. All she ever wanted in life was to be happy, and that was what he made her. __

_                Happy._

                Happiness was not something she had much of in her pitiful life. Thus, she couldn't comprehend why she would throw it all away so easily. If she hadn't done that, he would be here with her now. He would be holding her right now. He would be telling her that he loved her. He would be telling her that he already loved their child that was growing inside of her. He would simply be here.

                But he wasn't here, and there was nobody to blame but herself. It won't be long before another person would be blaming me completely for his absence, she thought and turned onto her back. A hollow senseless chuckle escaped her lips as the tears continued to fall.

                The blame was fitting, since it was well deserved.

-xoxo-

                The time was one o'clock in the afternoon and Rogue had managed to drag her pregnant self out of bed. She ambled into the kitchen and headed straight for the refrigerator. Her hand gripped the handle and yanked it open with an immense strength that it almost broke the door off. She immediately pulled her hand back as she looked at the now, slightly bent door.

                A chuckle came from behind her followed by, "underestimating your own strength again?"

                Rogue turned around to face her teammate and once love interest, Joseph. "Even a girl can forget that she has the strength to lift a few tons, sometimes." She replied and shrugged indifferently. Her attention adverted back to the still opened refrigerator as she looked for something to eat.

                Feeling the coolness she was directing at him, Joseph walked over to the kitchen table and sat down. He grabbed a newspaper and thumbed through it, though he was paying more attention to Rogue.

                _Rogue._ The woman he was completely head over heels in love with; the same woman who didn't return the sentiment. He had hoped that she would be over the Cajun by now. It had been two months since anyone last seen him. Even though a part of him felt terrible for the circumstances that they were under which was supposedly of his doing back when he was seemingly the Master of Magnetism, he couldn't help but feel somewhat elated that Gambit was out of the picture. When they had arrived home, he had expected Rogue to turn to him for comfort and he was ready to take on the role as the man of her life. But his expectations fell shorter than he could have ever imagined.

                She didn't want to have anything to do with him because she didn't want to have anything to do with anyone else in this gigantic mansion. For the last two months, Rogue had been reclusive and a complete introvert. She rarely spoke much to anyone except for perhaps her demon-like brother and the animal they insisted on calling Wolverine.

                He shook his head in disappointment as he turned the page. She noticed this while she walked over to the table and took a seat across from him.

                "Something bad in the papers today?" She asked inquisitively and took a sip of her apple juice.

                "No. Nothing in particular." He answered indifferently.

                "Ah see." She muttered and an awkward silence followed shortly. After a while of sitting across from each other, neither looking at each other, Joseph finally broke as he asked, "How are you, Rogue?"

                "Well, ah'm fine, ah supposed. How are ya?" Rogue asked, a bit taken aback from the unexpected question from Joseph.

                "I'm doing quite well… actually, I'm not. I don't understand anymore, Rogue." He said and expressed his true feelings.

                "Understand what?" She asked confusingly.

                "Us."

                "What about us?" She asked, still confused.

                "We used to be close, Rogue. I thought we had something… I thought you felt it. Despite what I used to or not used to be in the past, I am a different man now. You know this. You forgave me for this. I thought our relationship was heading forward now… remember Christmas…"

                "Joseph. Stop. Please just stop." Rogue requested softly as she stared down into her cup of apple juice.

                "I can't stop though. Tell me what's wrong. Tell me what has changed. I understand that you're still getting over this Gambit thing, but it's over now. It's time for you to move on and obviously he wasn't man enough of to own up to his past mistakes and that's why he isn't here now. But, at least I take responsibility for whatever you all thought I did in the past. At least, I'm here now. Let me be here for you, Rogue." He offered as he reached over to touch her hand.

                She flinched at his touch and lightly pulled away from him. "Joseph, ah appreciate what you're saying, but ah'm sorry if ah ever led ya on. Ah just don't feel that way about ya. We won't work. Ah'm sorry." She said softly and still refused to meet his eyes.

                "Oh…" Joseph simply muttered as he sat back down on his chair. He was so sure they had something special, something deeper than what she had with Gambit. He was in her heart before Gambit was, at least his former self was. No, he was not going to give up just yet.

                "I don't understand. We have a connection, Rogue. I know you are still in pain with this whole Gambit affair, but I can help you through this. We can get past this." He persisted.

                "Joseph, don't ya understand? Ah won't ever be past this. He was… he _is_ the one ah will ever love, the only one ah wanna be with. Ah'm so sorry, sugah, that ah led ya on, but ah know now that we could never work. For me to pretend that ah can even move on wit' ya and love ya one day, is unfair to ya. And ah have new responsibilities now. Ah can't keep playing these selfish foolish games that ah always wind up playing. Ah can't do it anymore." Rogue explained and looked him in the eyes finally. The determination in her eyes convinced Joseph that their once blossoming relationship was indeed over.

                "Well, I'm sorry too, Rogue. I'm sorry that I ever thought we could be anything more than friends. Good luck in life." He said his final last words to her before he got up and walked out indignantly.

-xoxo-

                Rogue was lying on the couch in the recreation room while she savored the silence. Everyone else was outside enjoying the great weather and having a grand picnic. She opted to skip the festivities to enjoy the tranquility of a silent mansion. Her thoughts wandered from Remy to the baby to Joseph. It was no surprise to her that when she had tried to look for him after their confrontational meeting in the kitchen, he was nowhere in sight. Along with him not being in sight were his clothes and the minimal possessions he had.

                He had left the Institute without a word to anyone. He simply got up and left, all because of her.

                As much as she hated to admit it, his leaving was a burden off her shoulders. Ever since she admitted her feelings were only for Remy while practically dying under the Phalanax control, she knew her feelings for Joseph was nothing but of friendship. Given that she should have told him sooner, the last two months had really been a complete blur to her. She barely had any sense in herself to get through those miserable days, let alone having to break the heart of one of greater friends. If she weren't pregnant with Remy's baby, she probably wouldn't have even addressed the issue of her feelings for Joseph that day. The baby was her incentive to finally take responsibility for her actions and her inactions. Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard the footsteps of two people right outside the doorway.

                "He wasn't happy to see us, Storm." The unmistakable voice of Kitty's said faintly.

                "I wouldn't expect him to be. After all, the team did abandon him." Ororo stated.

                The two women were actually standing right outside the open door that led into the recreation room. Since Rogue was lying down on the couch where the back of it faced the doorway, the two women did not see her. Thus, Rogue was yet in another advantageous position as she listened intently on her teammate's conversation.

                "Well, what do we do then?" Kitty asked, fairly perplexed.

                "I honestly do not know. He was bitter and hostile towards us. I can only imagine what he would be like towards Rogue." Ororo responded with no actual answers.

                "Maybe it's better if we don't tell her. She thinks he's dead anyway, and if he's going to be that awful to her, then it's better off if he was dead in her eyes." Kitty reasoned, although her answer didn't hold much reasoning at all.

                Suddenly, Rogue sprung up from her position and flew over to the two women in a hurry. "What are ya two keeping from me?" She asked angrily.

                "Rogue, calm down." Ororo requested.

                "Ah will not calm down. Tell me where he is, 'Ro. Ah wanna know where he is." Rogue said in a threatening tone.

                "He's in New Orleans, Rogue. But he's changed now. I don't think it'll be a good idea to see him." Kitty answered.

                "No, Kitty. Rogue should see him despite his change in character. But, Rogue, be prepared for what you will meet. He's definitely not the same man he was before." Ororo cautioned warily.

                The overwhelming information only added to Rogue's stress. She covered her face with her hands as she thought about what to do. He probably didn't want to see her. He probably hated her. He probably never want to have anything to do with her ever again.

                 It only took her a second before she turned around and walked towards the exit.

                 Regardless of how he would act towards her, she needed to see him and he needed to know about the baby, if nothing but for the baby's sake.

------------------------------------------


	4. All's fair in a game of poker

- Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own Marvel or any of these characters… blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** So, this is a completely new chapter. I actually like it a lot more than the original because in the original, I made Gambit a total wimp. This new version does him justice better. Hmm.. almost tempted to add other element's into this story that wasn't in the first. We'll see how I'm feeling. Anyway, I think I really want to update **Shouldn't Be So Hard **soon. I recently read a fabulous book called "Can You Keep A Secret?" and I am INSPIRED! We'll have to see how long that lasts. Oh well, enjoy the chapter!

**Ludi:** Seriously, this story is crap. Well, at least the original was crap. If you read even one chapter of the original you will know how crappy this story was before. Don't even know why you're bothering, but I think I'm re-writing not only for my sake but a little for yours. The original was such crap. Well, Joseph… it would be really fun re-writing him into this story since he was so absent in the first one. I'm just thinking about how to re-write him in since he kind of left and all. Oh well, maybe I won't. Who knows. Enjoy and I hope you did well on your exams! **Star-of-Chaos:** I like how you think it's cool that I'm re-writing the story. Wasn't the previous version such crap? It was. Just admit it was crap because it was. My only excuse was that I don't really know the psychologies of R&R and it was my first fanfic, but besides that, it was a sorry excuse of a story. So, hopefully, this version will do it justice! Joseph… thinking about that right now… not quite sure what to do with Joseph. Any suggestions? **Keebler-elmo:** Original version of this story, Gambit was weak and stupid. This one is much much better. Hope you like it! **T.:** I'm glad you love this new version. I honestly like it too. The old version was such crap! Thanks, T. for always reviewing! It's awesome of you! **Ishandahalf:** You are too kind with all these pity reviews, but I love ya nonetheless for it! Well, yes, I wrote Joseph in… should I bring him back? He could help Rogue raise the kid… what do you think? LoL. Probably having a panic attack just thinking about that idea eh? This story is pretty much the same… just a lot of re-writing. I understand if you stopped reading.. this story is such crap, at least the original version one was. Oiy… I don't even know why I'm bothering. Oh wells! Enjoy!

**A Different Way to a Perfect Ending**

                The man shifted uncomfortably in his seat and sunk lower in it. Then, he quickly straightened his position by sitting upright once more. Bluffing was necessary in this game, and any sign of weakness, he knew he would lose the ten grand that he undoubtedly would need to mortgage his house if it were to happen. He narrowed his eyes at the man before him, carefree and relaxed – almost too relaxed.

                The nervous man glanced back down at his cards and a soft sigh of relief escaped his lips. He had a full house. He had a full house of Jacks. He was safe. He would win. There was no way the man in front of him could have a higher hand. With a little more ease, he looked back at his opponent; his opponent with the unusual red on black eyes.

                 Definitely a mutie, the man decided silently. The fact that his opponent was one of those revolting mutants only encouraged him to win the ten grand that was at stake. There really was no other choice. If he were to lose the ten grand, his wife would kill him especially when she found out it was to a mutie. She hated muties.

                "So, what y' got, mon ami?" The Cajun mutant drawled too confidently for the man's liking.

                "Full house Jacks!" The man declared with a tad too much eagerness that merely indicated his desperation.

                "Good hand." The Cajun commented, his smirk never even twitched once.

                "What ya got?" The man asked more defensively then he had intended.

                "Only two pairs…" The Cajun responded uninterestingly.

                A huge sigh of relief came out of him as he took in a deep breath. A smile graced his face now as he reached for the jackpot in the middle of the glorious green velvet table.

                "Not so fast, mon ami." The Cajun spoke up and stopped the man mid-way through from gathering his money.

                "What? I won. You only got two pairs." The man said hurriedly.

                "Not if it's two pairs of queens. Four of a kind. I win." The Cajun announced and flung his cards on top of the jackpot in clear view of his opponent.

                "Son of a bitch! You cheated me!" The man cried accusingly, while his wife's angry words already filled his head. Her angry words mixed with the image of her holding a machete of course.

                "All's fair in a game of poker…or somet'ing like dat." The Cajun rambled on as he was clearly enjoying himself.

                "Fuck you! You knew all along didn't you? You're one of those muties with x-ray visions aren't you? I want my money back!" The man exclaimed irrationally as he stood up and took an offensive stance. Before he could even take a step towards the Cajun, two huge men each grabbed him by an arm. They held him back as one of them said sternly, "Nobody treats one of our best customers like that, and Mr. LeBeau is indeed a very valued customer."

                "He played me for a fool! My wife is going to kill me! You don't understand!" The man explained as he struggled against the men's hold.

                "You understood the risk of gambling here when you walked through those doors. But, now that you are clean out of money, you don't meet the requirements of staying in here." The other bulky man said and dragged the loser out of the grand hall.

                The other brawny man stayed long enough to say, "I apologize for his misconduct, Mr. LeBeau. I assure you that he won't be welcome here any longer."

                "Call me Gambit, Johnson. Oh, and here's a grand for you and Wilson to split." Gambit responded and tossed a few chips over to the man.

                "Thank you, Mist…Gambit." With those last words, the man turned and walked away.

                Gambit was still smiling contently as he stared at the huge pile of chips in front of him. Nothing felt more thrilling than winning a good game of poker, well almost nothing since every now and then, a woman would come along and showed this Cajun what a real thrill really was. He leaned back in his chair and simply enjoyed gazing at his winnings.

                Within minutes, however, the adrenaline ran completely dry from his body. His once animate red eyes now held a dull glaze over them as he turned away from the pile. He opted to look outside the window as that little bit of joy completely disappeared now. 

                No matter how many games of poker were played or how many beds he wandered through, life would never be the same again, and he was having a tough time accepting the idea. One night changed it all. Actually it was two nights, since the first night was when the deed was done, and the second night was when he paid for it.

                 And hell, did he pay.

                _He could feel his palm becoming sweaty as he tried to cling onto her. She looked down at him with pure hatred, but he desperately scanned for some hint of love, a hint of any other emotion. All he saw was hate. _

_                One desperate attempt, he said, "but I love you." _

_                It didn't work._

_                "You're honest with the people you love, Gambit. Otherwise… it's a gamble." She responded and fittingly let go of his hand so he could face his doom. _

He didn't face his doom though. He survived this sick joke that the fates were playing on him. He should have died there and then, but he didn't. They made him live, and life only brought pain and loss. Both of which he had a lot of.

                Anger. That was another major element that made up life as well, and he felt the anger.

                He was angry with her for saying that she loved him unconditionally when obviously she didn't. But then again, she didn't know what she was loving; she didn't know his part in the massacre of hundreds of innocent mutants.

                Then again, that was the only thing of his life that he kept from her. Everything else was as real as he could make it be when he was with her. They had been teammates for years now, and lovers for just as long, so wasn't that supposed to be enough for her to find that strength to overlook his mistake and actually love him for what he was now and instead of what he was then?

                Apparently, it wasn't.

                He was angry with her for this. He was angry with her for tossing him away, for tossing their love away. He was angry that she didn't seem to know the meaning of 'unconditional'. He was angry that she had pretended to save him at first, only to drop him to his death. He was angry that she didn't come back for him, even though he had stayed in the very spot for another day.

                But no matter how angry he was with her, he still wanted her.

                He wanted to breathe in the sweet lavender aroma that was her scent. He wanted to hear her melodious laughter. He wanted to taste her honey-like skin. He wanted to hold her against his body and feel everything that she was, like he had that night in the cave.

                He was pathetic.

                A hollow chuckle came out of him as he stared blankly out the window. Another night he was spending dwelling over her. Another night he was moaning about what could have been. Another night he was yearning for something that was impossible. Pathetic, he was simply pathetic.

                The senseless laughter suddenly stopped though as he saw a streak of white flashed across the dark velvet sky. He blinked his eyes and looked more intently again. Then, he saw her.

                _Rogue._

                She was standing on top of the building a few streets over, glancing around the vast city. He stood up and stared at her so fixedly, that he was sure if he blinked she would be gone. His heart jumped and dropped at the sight of her and what it could mean.

                She came for him. She wanted to take him back. She wanted him go back to the mansion with her. She loved him. She needed him. All the possibilities swarmed his mind, but it took but a second before he got up and started to go to her.

                He knew what her coming meant. He knew it all along.

-xoxo-

                The long green cape was what made her stand out from everyone else in the Big Easy. The fact that she had the hood over her head only made her more noticeable. She merely ignored the eyes that were staring at her though as she scanned the streets relentlessly. After two hours of searching all over the city, she was feeling rather foolish. Finding him was harder than she had realized, but it was her own fault as usual. If letting go had been so easy, finding him had to be hard considering she believed that there was always a balance in life.

                Ironic it was that she believed so deeply in the concept of universal balance. He wanted to hang onto her; she wanted to let go. Now, she wanted him back and if the forces were true, she should expect the worst to come. Disheartened she became, but then she remembered the child growing within her body and her heavy heart became light again. The child was the reason he would come back. Screwed the forces, he would come back to her because of the baby.

                Though, she wasn't sure if she wanted him to be with her out of obligation.

                Suddenly, she was completely pulled away from her thoughts as she heard his unmistakable voice. "Chere, your body is way too fine t'keep all dat clothes on…"

                The voice came from her right, but before Rogue could even process what she had heard Remy say, she had already turned around and saw him – him with a pretty blonde on his arm. The blonde was giggling as she heard Remy say perverted things to her, not even bothering to lower his voice. Rogue's eyes teared up as she witnessed her baby's father blatantly seducing another woman. She was about to turn around when he noticed her and said, "Rogue?"

                "Hmm." She managed to respond as she suppressed the tears as well as she could. It didn't work.

                His eyes softened ever so little as he could see her cry, but he remembered what he had to do and what she did to him and his eyes became hard and cold once more. Instead of letting go of the blonde, he grabbed her tighter to him, while he casually draped an arm over the blonde's shoulder with a hand resting on her right breast. The girl merely giggled shyly.

                "What brings y' down t'de Big Easy? Planned to _drop_…whoops… bad choice of words. Excusez-moi." He said bitterly and glared at her.

                She swallowed a gulp of air as she tried to regain her composure. She was finding it an extremely difficult task to perform. Thus, she looked away from him and said softly, "Ah think we need t'talk… in private."

                "Well, Remy'll love t'talk, chere, but as y' can see, I'm kind of busy here wit' ma belle _cherie_." He said and purposely emphasized the last word in order to prove to Rogue that the pet name wasn't exclusively hers.

                "Ah can see. But we really need t'talk. Please." She requested ever so softly again, and found the strength to bring her big green hurt eyes to look into his hostile red ones. Yet, one look into her gorgeous pained emerald eyes, he couldn't deny his love for her any longer. Even if she had left him in Antarctica, he still loved her enough to know she didn't deserve the punishment he was giving her now. Thus, he whispered a few sweet nothings in the pretty blonde's ear, which she immediately giggled and turned back towards the hotel.

                "Thanks." Rogue whispered, not wanting to speak up any louder for fear that she would completely break down in front of him.

                "Didn't do it for you." He lied and lit a cigarette he took out from his pocket.

                Silence draped over the two as the former lovers stood awkwardly next to each other. Despite the smoke of the cigarette, he could smell her lavender scent, and he was almost tempted to reach out and touch her. She stood next to him uncomfortably as she tried to dry her tears. Obviously, he was over her and had moved on. Maybe she shouldn't have come back after all, but then she rested her hands on her abdominal and remembered her motivation for seeing him.

                "Remy… ah'm…"

                "Sorry? Heard it b'fore, chere. Words don't mean much coming from y'." He scoffed bitterly.

                "That ain't fair…"

                "And y' thought leaving me behind was fair? Y'thought it was fair dat y' dished out my punishment? Y'thought it was fair dat I should die a horrible freezing death? Life ain't fair, Rogue. Y'taught me dat much. Ain't it about time, y'learn from yourself?" He stated coldly.

                "Ah get that ya hate me, and ah don't blame ya. But, please believe me when ah say ah'm sorry. Ah tried to look for ya, Remy. Ah went back every night…"

                "Just didn't look hard enough, n'est pas vrai? [1]" He purposely interrupted her, for he feared that if she said anything more, he might lose his will power and forgive her.

                Rogue bowed her head down as the tears dropped to the ground. She wasn't even sure why she was even bothering anymore. It was clear that he didn't want her or have anything to do with her. He wanted to sever her out of his life once and for all, and if she told him about the baby, he would never get his freedom. He would always be connected to her whom he hated with an immense passion. She couldn't live a life like that; he shouldn't have to live a life like that; their baby doesn't deserve a life like that.

                "Remy…" she started her last attempt only to be cut off again.

                "Don' y' get it, Rogue? You were de one who ended it. You were de one who turned your back on our love. You were de one who let go. So, I don't see why you're here now. I doubt you're here to rekindle dis _dead_ relationship. Perhaps, you're here t'clear your conscience. Just t'let y'know, you won't find de redemption here." He stated colder than even he had intended. As soon as the words spilled out of his mouth, he immediately regretted it, but he knew as well as anyone that words couldn't be taken back.

                The tears fell uncontrollably, but she straightened her poise and held her head high. This was her punishment for throwing away their love and she was going to face it with dignity, if not for herself but for her baby. At this point, she knew that it was useless to tell him about the baby. He didn't want anything to do with her, and she was going to give him that. She was finally going to let go.

                "Ah'm sorry, Remy. Ah'm sorry for everything, but ah won't bother ya again." She murmured and before he could even respond, she flew off, leaving him looking after her with his mouth opened and ready to say something. But, she wouldn't be around to hear it and perhaps that was what could have made all the difference, though the two would never know.

                "Je suis desole, chere. Je t'aime toujours. [2]" He murmured and stood there wishing that he could turn back time to merely five minutes ago. It was impossible though. When it came to his and Rogue's relationship, everything always seemed impossible.

----------------------------------------

[1] Isn't that right?

[2] I'm sorry, chere. I love you always.


	5. Acceptance

- Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own these character or marvel…blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** Well, I'm twisting up this story a bit and I hope everyone doesn't mind. Don't worry, everything else will most likely stay the same but I'm adding a few things. The last version of this chapter, Rogue's pregnancy was a bit rushed. This one will deal with it a little better. Anywho, it's a little short but whatcha gonna do? I hope everyone enjoys it!

**Ludi:** My cool Brit friend! Anywho, not the point at the moment. Need to respond to your wonderful review. I completely agree that in X-men #81, Remy seemed too eager and desperate to get back with Rogue. It bothered me because, it totally emasculated him and it was so eager to the point that it seemed as though he was the one who did something wrong and not her. And I completely agree that I would like to go around, "throttling people and telling them to sort things out." However, I would most likely want to do that in fictional situations i.e. X-Men, fanfiction, Gilmore Girls, my soap opera, etc. Though, if I did that, every one of those thing would be over or it will be pages/episodes of disgustingly cute happiness… **demiducky25:** Wow! Thanks for your comments! It really made me blush… what you said was totally sweet! Hmm… I hope you like these new elements that I'm adding to the story. Maybe not… who knows! Well, you can tell me and then I'll know… now I'm just babbling! Thanks! **Star-of-Chaos:** Rogue is my all-time favorite character too! She beats Gambit by just a nose… must be a big nose… off topic. Anywho, Joseph is Joseph… what more can I say… probably a lot more but this isn't the time nor the place ;) **Zaima:** Guys do tend to brush things off and not listen when their prides are at stake… men and their pride. But it's fair for him to be like that… she did after all dropped him to his freezing death… **T.:** I agree that she did go back for him! Stupid men… **Keebler-elmo:** Thank you for reviewing! **Ishandahalf:** Joseph's not that bad.. he's just annoying… okay, enough defending him. I'm not a big Joseph fan. And if Remy and Rogue could solve all their problems like the normal human communicating with words way and listening way… I really doubt we would enjoy reading about them that much… we might even all become Jean and Scott shippers… heavens forbid! **DemonicGambit:** And updated I did! Enjoy! **Danabana:** Thanks for your kind words! I'm re-writing it a lot… so something's may be new to you! Tell me what you think of it! **XxFleurdelySxX:** Yeah, we know how this story is going to end… but the real question is how does the overall story ends… as in **The Wedding**… we'll just have to wait and see! And thanks for being so supportive! I appreciate it tons! **Wabi-Shabi:** Well, I think you might be a bit apprehensive with what I'm doing with this story after you read this chapter. But believe me, it'll be okay. And you have to read about Emma in Sophia Kinesella's new book! She is awesome… and her love interest is actually hotter than Luke Brandon and believe me, I was a HUGE Luke Brandon fan! But after reading about this new guy in the new book… I love Jack Harper more… no Luke Brandon… no Jack Harper… actually, I would like both men to merge into one and come alive and marry me! This is how crazy I am for that book!

A Different Way to a Perfect Ending 

                Four months pregnant with blotchy eyes and a tired body, it was not surprise that the usually physically strong woman was allowing her weak mental state to take over her body completely. She was still as she lied on her bed. With closed eyes and two protective hands placed on her mid-section, she tried not to remember.

                It was hard though for how could she possibly forget him so easily? Him, the one she loved and the same one who had said all those hateful words to her. Rogue wasn't much to take the easy way out, but at this very moment, she would have gladly taken it if only it was offered.

                But it wasn't offered and so the words repeated themselves in her mind as his face became clearer every time while he said them.

                While Rogue was dealing with her depression, right outside her door stood the mighty weather goddess. She raised her hand up to the door, poised to knock but then she let it drop to her side. Honestly, she wasn't sure what she could possibly say to her teammate to make the situation any better. When Rogue returned that night two months ago, she had kept to herself in her room for two weeks straight. She only left her room once and that was to come downstairs during dinnertime and announced that she was pregnant. As soon as she said those three words, she promptly turned around and headed back to her room before anyone could even register what she had said.

                It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the father was. It also didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that Rogue didn't tell him about the baby. If she had, there would have been no doubts in anybody's minds that he would be here with her right this moment. Since he wasn't here, Ororo could only imagine what horrible things he must have said to her that caused Rogue to not inform him about their baby.

                She lifted her hand to knock on the door again and without hesitation, she tapped on it twice. Regardless of what happened between Rogue and Remy, Ororo knew that Rogue needed someone right now, and Ororo was never one to reject a friend in need.

                There was no response from the other side of the door, and so, she knocked again – a little louder this time.

                Again, there was no response.

                Again, she knocked more persistently. "Rogue, it's Storm. May I come in?" She made her presence known.

                Yet again, there was no response.

                "If you're not going to respond, then I'm going to take that as a 'yes' and come in." Ororo warned. Without even giving Rogue a chance to respond, she opened the door and entered her room. One look at Rogue, Ororo could feel herself choke up slightly. She quietly closed the door and walked towards her friend who was staring blankly up at the ceiling. Ororo seated herself on the edge of Rogue's bed as she observed her friend. Rogue was a young woman but she looked like she had aged ten years. Her face was pale and dried. Her once dazzling green eyes were lifeless. Even her hair seemed like it had become whiter. It nearly broke Ororo's heart while she witnessed the dramatic changes in Rogue.

                "Rogue, are you okay?" Ororo asked, somewhat redundantly.

                One again, Rogue didn't respond and continued to stare blankly up at the ceiling. Feeling a little frustrated but still maintaining her cool, she asked again, "Rogue, are you okay?"

                This time, Rogue responded by turning to her side, away from Ororo. Her reaction didn't stir Ororo though as she said, "Rogue, if you keep this up, it will only harm your child."

                A faint sniffle could be heard from Rogue, but she continued to ignore her friend. Feeling slightly exasperated, Ororo stated bluntly, "Rogue, get up, get dressed, and let's go for a walk. It's a wonderful day outside and for you to waste another day being holed up in here and crying is pathetic."

                Rogue tried to ignore Ororo's words, but for the first time in two months, words were actually heard by her.

                "You're four months pregnant and Gambit may not be here for you and I do not know what happened between you two nor is it any of my business. But I am making it my business to ensure that you and the child will be fine, and if you continue this path of self-pity you will only harm yourself and the baby. Is that what you want, Rogue? Do you want your baby to suffer the same pain you are suffering through? Is that what the child deserves too?" Ororo asked steadily.

                Staring at Rogue's still unresponsive body for five minutes, Ororo gave up and started to get up and off the bed when Rogue stirred slightly. Then, she finally turned back towards Ororo with tear-filled scared green eyes and said softly, "No. That's not what the baby deserves."

                Taken aback by her friend's unexpected words of truth, Ororo settled back on the edge of the bed and took Rogue's gloved hands into her own graceful ones. "I'm glad you realized that."

                Fresh tears trickled down her dried colourless cheeks as Rogue said quietly, "ah'm scared, 'Ro. Ah'm really scared."

                "Oh, Rogue. You do not have anything to fear, my friend. We're all here to support you. You're not alone in this." Ororo comforted her as she could feel her own throat choke up and her eyes getting damp.

                "But he's not here." Rogue whispered and gripped her friend's hand tightly for support.

                Ororo rubbed Rogue's hands as she said soothingly, "I know he isn't but you can do this, Rogue. You're strong, caring and loving, all that is needed to raise this beautiful gift of life. You're not going to do this alone either. You have Kurt, Logan, Jean, Scott, me… a houseful of people that are willingly to help you through this and not because we're your teammates but because we're your friends. Don't forget that we're here for you."

                "Okay." Rogue replied softly. Ororo softly brushed a strand of white away from Rogue's face as the two friends sat in pleasant silence for a while. Before she decided to let Rogue rest, she asked her, "Would you like anything?"

                Rogue smiled faintly and said, "A walk would be nice."

-xoxo-

                Blue, red, yellow, violet, green – all the colours that made her surrounding vibrant and gorgeous on a sunny spring day while she took a walk in the gardens. Five months she was along now and was beginning to show her healthy round bump. Opposed to a month before, there was now a rosy pink on her cheeks and her eyes were lively once more. Though her appearance expressed happiness, internally she still wasn't truly content. But, the difference from then and now was that she had accepted her fate and her consequence and perhaps that was the one thing she was happy with. A baby would join her in a few months.

                _Her_ baby would join her in a few months.

                As she walked along the path of stones in a pair of flip-flops (her feet had gotten quite fat) and a flowing flowery summer dress, she was almost tempted to fly. Hank had discouraged her to fly, but something about being in the air always made her serene. Plus, she was convinced the baby would love a good flight and before she could even think through it, she took off and soared into the air.

                While cutting across the perfectly clear blue sky, she did a few other things she knew Hank would disapprove highly. A flip here and a turn there, she danced in the sky. "Baby, ya enjoying y'self in there?" She asked her stomach as she continued to do her carefree air dance.

                However, she immediately stopped as she witnessed an unexpected guest standing at the front door of the mansion. She quickly flew to the stranger and landed right behind him.

                "What are ya doing here?" She asked with surprise. The man jumped slightly and turned around to face her.

                "I heard the news." Joseph said.

------------------------------------------------


	6. Offers and Gifts

- Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own these character or marvel…blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** It's been a while since I've written anything new. Been really busy with life… thought life is still as dull as usual, but it's now more time consuming. Anywho, I re-wrote this chapter completely, like I will be doing from now on. I think you all have caught onto that already. Another thing, honestly, I do not know how Joseph is like but I figured that he would be insistent if he had to but still remain a terrific friend to Rogue. After all, she was the one who really extended a hand of friendship to him. So, I hope you like this chapter. Remy will appear in the next chapter, but not quite sure when the next chapter will be written or posted. Thank you to those who have stuck by me through all this drama, love you all so much for that – _muah xoxo_

**A Different Way to a Perfect Ending**

                Her eyes widened with surprise as she registered what he had just said. Apparently, he had heard the news and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out what he was referring to. Though, she was still hoping against all hope that he had heard something different – something that definitely did not have to do with her or her baby. But all her hoping was dashed when he spoke again.

                "Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?" Joseph asked while his soft blue eyes studied her. She looked flustered, but she had a healthy glow to her; a glow that he hadn't seen since that Christmas night in New York City.

                "Ah didn't think it was any of your business." Rogue replied more defensively than she had intended. By the look on his face, Rogue knew that Joseph definitely didn't expect her hostile response. "Ah'm sorry." She mumbled before he could even speak.

                "It's alright. I should be the one who apologizes. I have no right to question you on your physical well-being. It's not as if I'm anyone important enough to." He stated with a hint of resentment.

                "Joseph… don't do this." Rogue said softly and looked away from him.

                "Don't do what, Rogue? Don't be here for you? Don't prove to you that I love you and we belong together?" Joseph asked exasperatedly.

                "Yes. Don't do all that. Ah can't deal wit' this right now. Ah can't talk to ya right now." Rogue said and took off into the air before he could even say another word of protest.

-xoxo-

                His body was hovering outside the gymnasium's window while his eyes remained completely focused on her. She was doing her regular workout routine, well at least her regular pregnancy workout routine that included a mixture of yoga, tai chi and some milder form of kickboxing. She didn't notice him since the window was actually quite high up.  He was extremely glad about this very fact for this was the only time that he could actually see Rogue. For the past few weeks since his return, she had avoided him like the plague. Her action only frustrated him and encouraged him to try harder to talk to her. He was absolutely determined to sort out their relationship or lack of one.

                While Joseph watched, unbeknownst to her, Rogue finished up her routine and grabbed her water bottle. In a week, she would officially be six months pregnant which meant that her feet would disappear from her view and the stretch marks would really do some damage. She smiled at those facts since as much as she hated the circumstances, she enjoyed being pregnant. After all, she would have never thought this would have ever been possible for her, given her mutation and all.

                Yes, she didn't forget her curse of a mutation at all. She knew that she wouldn't be able to deliver her baby like every other woman. Hank would have to perform a cesarean section, but she didn't even mind that fact too much just as long as her baby came out healthy. Perhaps the only detail that made her slightly depressed besides the obvious was that she would never be able to touch her baby's skin and feel how soft it would be. She would never be able to breast feed her baby nor bathe it without wearing gloves. She shook her head to rid of the depressing thoughts. Being almost six months pregnant and with wild inconsistent mood swings, depressing thoughts definitely did not help any situations at all.

                Her train of thoughts wandered from subject to subject while she walked towards the changing room to shower. The subject of Joseph finally arose as she sighed heavily at the thought of him. He had been back for three weeks now, and she hadn't talked to him since the day he arrived. Honestly, she didn't know what to say to him. She thought she had made it perfectly clear that she and him could never work out, not when she was still in love with… she couldn't even think of his name for fear that the tears would fall again.

                He hated her. Joseph loved her. He wasn't here for her. Joseph wanted to be here for her. He didn't want to have anything to do with her. Joseph wanted all of her.

                A part of her desperately wished she could return Joseph's feelings and that perhaps they could work out; they could make a family together. But the mere thought of that ever happening made her sick to her stomach. The idea of Joseph raising Remy's child was enough to stop her from trying to conjure any feelings whatsoever for Joseph.

                Perhaps she should talk to Joseph and make it absolutely clear to him that she would never love him the way he wanted, but hadn't she already done that the first time? Rogue didn't see a point to stating the obvious again especially when she had to witness him getting his heart broken all over again. She shook her head when the realization came to her. Once again, she was thinking about her own feelings and not Joseph's. She knew that the real explanation of why she didn't want to talk to him was because of two reasons. The first one was that she didn't want to be responsible for another person's heartbreak, and the more significant one was that she knew that once she heard all that Joseph was willing to offer to her and her unborn child, she might be tempted to take him up on his offer. After all, even with all her mistakes, did she not deserve a happy ending with a man that loved her?

                As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she knew the answer immediately. Now, all she needed to do was find Joseph.

-xoxo-

                A twist, a turn, a snap – soft sharp sounds that could be heard from his room as he worked away on an idea of his. He was so deeply concentrated on the task at hand that he didn't notice a certain southern pregnant woman standing in his doorway. She had been standing there for ten minutes, not making a sound even when the baby kicked her a few times as if to inform her to get a move on. When the baby kicked again for the fifth time, a light giggle escaped her as she looked down at her round bump in a disapproving manner.

                "Bad baby." She reprimanded softly not noticing Joseph had become aware of her presence and was already walking towards her.

                "Bad baby?" He inquired amusingly.

                She laughed nervously as she brought her eyes to meet Joseph's soft blue ones. "Yeah… ah think ah got a soccer player in the making here."

                "Remind me to pick up some soccer cleats later then." Joseph responded jokingly. Rogue laughed politely, though his comment fell short on the humour part for her. The two then stood in awkward silence for a while until Joseph finally asked, "did you want to come in and sit down?"

                "Oh… right… that'll be great." She stuttered her reply slightly and stepped into the room. She walked over to his bed and sat down on the foot of it. He looked back at his side project on the desk and promptly walked over to it in order to cover it with a towel before settling down on his chair.

                "So…" He began.

                "So…" She finished.

                "Is there something on your mind, Rogue?" Joseph asked the necessary question and studied her unreadable facial expression.

                "Yeah. Guess there has to be since ah'm here, right?" Rogue responded.

                "Right… what is it?" He asked bluntly.

                "Ah'm sorry." She stated unexpectedly

                "Sorry?"

                "Ah'm sorry for avoiding you these past few weeks. It was wrong of me to do it and ya didn't deserve that kind of treatment especially since ya have only been a great friend to me ever since we met. Ah don't know what possessed me t'do such a childish act. To think, ah'm having a baby and ah still act like a teenage schoolgirl. But that's not the point right now. The point is, ah'm sorry for being such an inconsiderate friend and ah do hope that this doesn't mean the end of our friendship because ah do care 'bout ya, Joseph." Rogue stated firmly.

                 "Apology accepted, Rogue. I must apologize as well. It wasn't required of me to come back here after I found out the news of your pregnancy, but I thought… well… I still think that you need support from someone who cares about you… who loves you…"

                "Stop before ya say anything ya're going to regret." Rogue interrupted him mid-sentence.

                "I'm not going to regret it, Rogue. I do love you and you do not have to go through this alone. You do not need to raise this precious child of yours alone." Joseph said boldly.

                "Joseph, did it slip your mind that this child is not only the flesh and bone of yours truly, but was also created by the man ya hate with an intense passion?" Rogue pointed out.

                "The baby may be half his, but he isn't here to claim the baby so he is only the father in blood and nothing else. But I'm here, Rogue. I'm here for you and I love you. I'll be all that you need if you'll let me." Joseph said persistently; after all, he was fighting for the woman he loved at the moment.

                "Have ya ever thought why Gambit isn't here, Joe?" Rogue asked softly.

                "He doesn't want you after the… incident. I know he's alive, Rogue. I actually ran into him once when I was driving through Louisiana… seemed really spiteful when I asked him if he had met up with you… though I won't rule out that the spite was intended for me. Then, I found out that you were pregnant and it all came together. He doesn't love you like I do, Rogue. He doesn't know what love is. But I do. I feel it whenever I'm near you. You were the only one who believed in me when I say I don't remember being Magneto. You were the only one who gave me a chance at a new beginning. So, let me give you the chance for an ending of happily ever after… or to the best of my abilities."

                "Remy doesn't know about the baby." Rogue simply stated, not wanting to address all the other statements in Joseph's speech.

                "Oh…" Joseph said, stunned with the new information. Perhaps, he misjudged the whole situation completely.

                "He doesn't know about the baby. Ah couldn't tell him because… ah couldn't trap him into being with me. That isn't what love is about, and believe me when ah say that ah love him with all my heart… then and now. Ah'm so sorry, Joseph. Ah wish it could be otherwise. Ah wish ya were the one ah love. Ah wish ah could have the happy ending and ah can't think of anyone as loving as ya, but ah'm not deserving of that love. Ah'm not deserving of having ya spend the rest of your life with someone who will never give her heart to ya completely. Then, there's the baby. Ah can't lie to my child about the paternity of it nor can ah have a substitute for Remy. Ah need to do this on my own. Ah need to raise my baby on my own. Ah need to finally grow up and face my responsibilities, but ah can't do that if you're gonna be standing next to me every step of the way. Ah hope ya understand, sugah. Ah didn't wanna hurt ya but we needed to get it all out in the open." Rogue explained sincerely.

                "Right… that we did. I guess it really is over then. Rogue, I understand and respect your decision but if you ever change your mind…" Joseph attempted one last time.

                "Ah won't, but thanks though." She dismissed it.

                "So… where does this leave us?" He asked somewhat hesitantly, though he needed to know.

                "As friends… ah hope." Rogue responded shyly.

                "Sounds great. I'd rather have you as a friend then lose you completely." Joseph said genuinely.

                Rogue smiled at him, got up and walked towards Joseph who was already standing. She looked up at him, wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly. He returned the sentiment as he held onto her delicate body. A few moments passed before she pulled away from him. "Ah think it's about time ah take my afternoon nap… getting a little tired." She said while she yawned and stretched her arms.

                "You go do that then. I'll see you later hopefully. Despite the outcome, I'm grateful that we had this talk." Joseph said truthfully.

                "Me too. Thank ya for being such a great friend, ah do love ya for that." With that last comment, Rogue walked out of his room in search for her own big fluffy bed.

                "If only you loved me more than just that." Joseph mumbled as he watched her leave.

-xoxo-

                _Knock Knock_

"Come in." She said and as soon as she did, Joseph let himself into her bedroom. He had a smile on his face and a bouquet of flowers in his hands.

                "Hi Rogue." He greeted brightly.

                "Hey sugah. Going on a date wit' someone?" She asked and eyed his flowers.

                "Actually, these are for you." He said and handed her the flowers. Hesitantly, she took them and asked, "What's the catch?"

                "Just thought a beautiful eight months pregnant lady would like some flowers to brighten up her day." He responded.

                "Okay then. Thank ya." She expressed gratefully and took a whiff of the lovely scent of the mixed flowers. She placed them in a vase on her bedside table and turned back to her friend. "So, what are ya doing here? Thought Scott wanted ya t'make use of the danger room since ya are gonna be a full on member now, right?"

                "That's what I came to talk to you about."

                "So there was a catch! Ah knew flowers always had its price. Spill it. What's the deal?" She asked inquisitively.

                "You wanna take a walk with me while I explain?" He proposed and held out his arm to her. She smiled at her friend who had been nothing but great since their talk a couple of months ago, and slipped her arm around his. "Fine. Ah think the baby could use a good stroll."

                "Then it was a good suggestion on my part." He said.

                Once the two were walking around one of the plentiful gardens of the Institute, Rogue asked once again, "So what's up, sugah?"

                "I think I'll miss hearing you call me 'sugah' the most." He stated.

                "Sounds like ya going somewhere, Joe." Rogue said.

                "Well…"

                Rogue immediately stopped in her tracks and looked Joseph in the eyes. "Again? Ah thought we worked things out. Don't leave, Joseph. Ah'll miss having ya around. Ya have been such a tremendous comfort and wonderful friend these past couple of months, and just when our friendship hit a comfy spot too… not to mention, ah thought ya wanted to be a permanent member of the team. Make amends for the past and what not."

                "You and I both know that except you, everyone else in this household despises me." He pointed out.

                "That ain't true." Rogue argued somewhat unconvincingly.

                "Name one person who doesn't besides Professor Xavier." Joseph challenged.

                "Umm… there's…. Scott? Ah mean he tolerates ya pretty good." Rogue answered meekly.

                "He tolerates me, yes. He trusts me as a teammate, no. Face it, Rogue. I never belonged here nor do I want to. The only reason why I ever stayed here was because of you." He said truthfully.

                "Well… then what do ya plan t'do?" She asked cautiously since she didn't want to address his reason for staying before.

                "There's still so many things that I need to find out – like who I am, how I got this way, and what's in store for me in the future. I won't be able to find the truth here. I need to leave." He said.

                "Are ya sure about that, sugah?" She asked, and didn't bother to insist that he stayed. She understood the need to go explore and discover old truths, especially when those truths are the very ones that made up one's life.

                "Pretty sure. Actually, I'm leaving later today. Bags are all packed and ready to go." He told her.

                "So soon? Ya ain't gonna stay t'see how this lil' monster that have been kicking me for the past few weeks will turn out?' She asked, a little stunned that he was leaving so soon.

                "I'm sure that the 'lil monster' will be an angel and as much as I love to see his or her pretty face, I don't think I want to stay here much longer." He said while avoiding the real reason why he didn't want to stay to see the baby's birth. Rogue knew the unspoken explanation as well. She knew that Joseph was still not comfortable with the idea of her carrying Remy's child and for him to actually witness the flesh and blood of Remy LeBeau would be the reality that Joseph was still trying hard to deny.

                "Okay. Ah understand. At least this time ya said good-bye." Rogue said and smiled lightly for him.

                "Not good-bye, just a 'see you later'?" Joseph suggested and smiled back.

                "Fine, see ya later it is." Rogue agreed.

                "One more thing though… I have a gift for you." Joseph said and dug it out of his pocket.

                "Joseph… now ya really shouldn't have." Rogue said uncomfortably.

                "Trust me, you'll really enjoy this." He said and handed her a small black velvet jewelry box.

                She took hesitantly, opened it slowly, and gasped at the sight of it. "It's gorgeous, Joseph but ah can't accept this."

                "Yes, you can. Let me put it on you." Joseph said and took out the silver bracelet out of the box. She held her wrist back though, not willing to let him give her such an extravagant gift.

                "Rogue, don't be silly here. Let me put it on you and I'll tell you the significance of this bracelet." Joseph said and waited patiently for her to extend her arm. Realizing that he could probably wait there all day for her, she extended her wrist out to him. He smiled as he clasped the bracelet on her.

                "Okay… so what's the significance?" Rogue queried with interest.

                "Close your eyes and let me show you." He said and she obliged more willingly to his request this time since she was quite curious to learn what his answer was. As soon as she did, with the softest yet ever so real touch, Joseph kissed her lightly on her forehead – skin on skin contact. And there was no absorption whatsoever. Rogue opened her eyes in disbelief and stared into the jovial cerulean eyes of Joseph. "What just happened?" She managed to ask although with some difficulty since she was still overcome with the phenomenon that had occurred.

                "I think you know what just happened, Rogue. But in case you didn't feel what I felt, you can touch now." Joseph told her.

                "How? When? What?" Rogue asked rapidly.

                "The bracelet. Just now and whenever you have the bracelet on. And I'm not quite sure how to answer the 'what' part." Joseph said with amusement as he watched Rogue's still surprised expression.

                "Oh mah god. This can't be… Ah can't believe it… Ah can touch!" She exclaimed and wrapped her arms around Joseph. Then, she brought her lips up to his cheek and gave him a big wet smack. Once again, no absorption occurred for the bracelet acted as a power neutralizer.

                Joseph hugged the excited but still fragile woman back, she was eight months pregnant after all, and said, "Well, that was an unexpected but completely delightful thank you."

                She pulled back from him with the biggest smile on her face. "How did ya manage to do this?"

                "A few configurations here, a few test runs there – who cares about the technical mumble jumble, the point is that you can touch now.  You also know what this means right?" He asked, with a coy eyebrow arched.

                "What?" She said, narrowing her eyes slightly at his cocky expression.

                "I have just given you the power to feel the horrendous and excruciating experience a woman endures when she is giving life." Joseph said.

                Rogue's eyes filled up with tears when his words sunk in. With the bracelet, she would now be able to experience the natural process of giving birth; she would now be able to feel her child's soft skin; she would now be able to be a real mother in every way possible. No words could be said on her part. Instead, she simply walked up to Joseph and hugged him. He held her gently as he rubbed a comforting hand down her back.

                "Thank you." She managed to mumble into his shirt.

                "You're welcome." He responded softly.

-------------------------------------------------


	7. Dreams and the Truths behind them

- Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own these character or marvel…blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** This chapter has only been proofread once. I kind of like it. It's interesting. Anywho, read and review.

**Ludi:** First of all, please write another chapter for _Threads._ I absolutely loved the last one and still can't get it out of my system. I _need_ more! But in response to your lovely review, thank you for the thumb's up. I was actually quite skeptical of the last chapter, but a thumbs up from you dispelled my insecurities. And I'm with you on the whole labour thing… I think I'll look into adoption when the time comes along to have  babies. ;P **Star-Of-Chaos:** I thought Joe was sweet too. Ehh… I actually like Joe. Guess you can tell eh? But thank you for reviewing everything. You are too kind! A chocolate kiss for you! _Muah! _**Keebler-elmo:** Okay, there's plenty of Remy in this chapter and there will be plenty of him in the next. Enjoy! **T.:** I'm not a big Joe fan too… but I do respect him in a way. Though, he had to go… no room for him in ROMY. Thanks for reviewing everything all over again. That's very sweet of you! A chocolate kiss for you! _Muah!_ **Ishandahalf:** Hahaha… you like Joseph in the last chapter…. Who would have thought? What next, Ish? You gonna develop a fondess for Belle as well? LoL… then the world would really be coming to an end. Just admit that you liked him the last chapter… You like Joseph! Ish and Joseph sitting in a tree… K-I-S-S-I-N-G! Okay, I'll stop now before you leave a raging review about what a mean and horrible person I am and what not… one last note though: You liked Joseph! **Evosmylife:** Comic-verse Joseph is as old as comic-verse Joseph. There wasn't a Joseph in Evo, so I wouldn't know. And since this fic isn't based in Evo verse anyway, I don't think it would matter. However, you are a fabulous reader and thank you very much for reviewing so many of my stuff. A chocolate kiss for you! _Muah!_ **The 'Pike:** Thanks for reading. Exciting to find a new reader actually! It always is for me! But anywho, this story was so different the first time around, so I'm glad you're catching it the second time around. I'm not one for the Antarctica storyline as well… though their one night in Uncanny 348 will always be cherished in my heart. **DemonicGambit:** Update I did, so tell me what you think. Don't know if I should be glad that you made a NASA reference because of this story… now I'm confused. Oh well… **demiducky25:** I thought the last chapter was very reminiscent of the Christmas issue as well, although I HATED the Christmas issue because of the whole Joe and Rogue thing, I thought it'd be fitting to fit a feel like that in the story. I'm glad your perception of Joe changed though. Honestly, I like Joe. He's a good guy, just not the right guy for Rogue. Simple as that. hope you like this re-write, and thanks for even reading the re-write!

**A Different Way to a Perfect Ending**

_                The moonlight outlined her profile and gave her face that luminous glow which he always saw in her even without the help of the light. The glow that was she, the person whom he thought was the only bright thing in his life. The only reason in his life that made him want to continue living. And there she stood, only ten feet away from him, in nothing but a simple white slip dress. _

_                Every sensible bone in his body knew that this was merely a dream. It had to be. After all, he had rejected her three years ago and hadn't seen her since. So, she had to be a dream – a dream that haunted him in reality as much as it did right this moment. Instead of waking up, he allowed himself to revel in the dream. It was all that he had left._

_                His steps were quick and swift, and before he could even process what he was doing, he wrapped his arms around her and buried his head in the crook of her neck. The lavender scent of hers returned as he inhaled it in greedily. "I missed you." He whispered._

_                Her arms encircled his waist as she whispered, "me too." _

_                He pulled away from her, leaving enough room so that he could stare into her green eyes but still close enough to feel her warm body against his. Those green eyes were the curse of it all – the very pair of emeralds that started it; that made him want more than a one night stand with her; that made him want to perform the greatest heist he would have ever done which was to steal her heart; but she had inevitably wound up stealing his instead. There it went again, one look into her eyes and his heart was hers once more, and that was if it had ever been returned to him in the first place._

_                "Je t'aime." He murmured as he brought a hand up to her face. He brushed her cheek with the back of his hand as he heard her purr with content. Her skin was soft, exactly like that one night; the one night where he made sure he didn't miss touching a single inch of her body. _

_                "Ah love ya too." She replied in a gentle whisper._

_                He couldn't take it anymore as he pressed his hungry lips against hers. His arms enclosed her waist and pressed her body against his while he continued to kiss her deeply, ravenously, as if this was the last kiss he would ever receive in his life. After a few moments, he felt the need to look into her loving emerald eyes again, to ensure that she was indeed the one he was kissing. He pulled back from her and gazed into the pair of green eyes. His right hand cupped her face as he said, "Don't leave me again, chere."_

_                "Never again." She promised. Those were the last words spoken. _

_                Those were always the last words spoken._

-xoxo-

            "GET THIS BABY OUT OF ME!!" She screamed in excruciating pain as another contraction hit her.

                "It'll be over soon, Rogue. Take deep breaths, remember Lamaze class." Ororo tried to reason as she felt the blood flow disappear completely from her hand. She was the poor unfortunate soul that had her hand being gripped bloodless by Rogue. The only thing Ororo was thankful for was that Rogue had her bracelet on, which meant her hand was not going to be completely shattered. Then, Ororo felt the feeling back in her hand as Rogue let go. The contraction had passed.

                Rogue looked over at Ororo sheepishly and apologized shyly, "Sorry, 'Ro."

                The weather goddess was shaking her hand out and said, "It's alright, Rogue. It's my fault to take such a late shift… I thought you would have at least given birth back when Betsy was here five hours ago."

                "Ah thought so too…ah don't know why this baby won't come out. Momma demands you to come out now!" She yelled the last sentence at her big round bump.

                "Somehow, I don't think that's going to work. Let nature take its course, dear." Ororo stated.

                "Ah am… ah just wish nature would speed up just a little. Ah've been in labour for ten hours now and practically every x-men have taken an hour shift with me! Think about it… if this keeps up… Logan is going to be back in here. He is the worse out of all y'all. He was so uncomfortable that he kept giving me curt answers. Not to mention, he kept his eyes on the floor the whole time, as if ah might suddenly turn my body around and shoot the baby out right in front of him." Rogue recalled the memory of the first X-man that had stayed the first hour of her labour with her.

                "Well, Logan wasn't exactly on the list of volunteers. After all, him and Hank were the only ones home during the time when you went into labour. He felt obligated to stay with you… and we all know how Logan is around children, babies especially." Ororo excused him.

                "That man can take on Apocalypse, Sabretooth, and Sinister, but he can't even deal wit' a little Mother Nature… tell him ah said he ain't a man, and ah'm gonna kick his butt in the danger room when ah get this baby out." Rogue instructed irrationally. Her expression immediately changed as she gripped Ororo's hand tightly again while she screamed in pain.

                "AH HATE BEING PREGNANT!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

                "ME TOO!" Ororo yelled in pain as her hand felt as if it was being broken in two all over again.

                Then, right on cue, the furry blue doctor appeared in the room with a smile on his face. When Rogue's contraction passed, she hissed at Hank's jovial expression. "Lovely to see you too, my dear." Hank said in a delightful manner.

                "Hank… Ah want this baby out. Forget the natural birth and all that crap… cut me open, take it out… ah don't wanna feel anymore of this 'glowing and wonderful birthing experience'." Rogue scowled at her doctor.

                "You do not mean that, darling. Plus, we are near the end, there's no point giving up now." Hank said, a little too jolly for Rogue's liking.

                "When you give birth… then ya can tell me when ah can and can't give…. AHHHHHHHHHH!" Rogue screamed in mid-sentence, as another contraction came on.

                "HANK, GET THIS BABY OUT OF HER! SHE'S KILLING MY HAND!" Ororo screamed in pain that almost matched Rogue's.

                "My my, I guess I can't reject two of my favorite ladies' requests. It seems that your contractions are close enough together now, which means I need you to push now, Rogue." He instructed as he sat in front of her, ready to deliver the baby.

                Within minutes, a high-pitched scream filled the room. After ten hours of labour, it took only two and a half minutes for the baby to be delivered. Rogue looked at Hank, anxious to see the baby – her baby.

                "Congratulations. It's a boy, Rogue. A healthy baby boy." Hank declared and proceeded to clean the babe. He, then, wrapped the now clean baby in a blue blanket and placed him in Rogue's arms. Rogue stared at the wrinkly face of her now sleeping baby boy. Tears welled up as she whispered, "a boy. Ah have a boy."

                Ororo kissed the top of Rogue's head and whispered, "Congratulations, my friend." Then, she left the room to declare to the whole mansion that there was now a new inhabitant in the household who weighed no more than six pounds and seven ounces.

                All the pain and sweat were forgotten as she continued gazing at her child. She brushed her fingers against the baby's soft pink skin and marveled at how her world had completely changed because of this baby. There was nothing more satisfying than the feeling of knowing her world had changed for the better because of _her_ baby.

                "What are you going to name him?" Hank asked which reminded Rogue that he was still in the room.

                Without a second thought, Rogue knew the answer with one look at her child. "Jeremy. Jeremy LeBeau."

-xoxo-

                _His broken body was lying facedown in a pool of blood, a few feet before her. Besides the colour of the crimson blood and his body, all she saw was white – miles and miles of endless white. _

_                The wind blew violently as she found herself, completely stationed to the ground, the pallid ground. Attempt after attempts were made, but she couldn't move, not even an inch. All she could was stare at the broken body while wondering whom it could be. _

_                "Hello?" She called out loudly, but her voice was muffled by the harsh roars of the wind. _

_                "Are ya okay?" She called out louder, but the man didn't hear her. Curiosity mixed with desperation enthralled her as she got down on her knees and attempted to crawl to the man. Still, she was unable to move in the vast terrain of bitter freezing snow.  _

_                Frustrated, she screamed at the top of lungs, "ARE YA OKAY? PLEASE ANSWER ME!" _

_                Then, she saw them – two flashes of red that disappeared as fast as they had appeared. But, she had seen them, and she knew. The man who had lifted his head up for not even a second, she knew who he was. Now, desperation and panic were the only emotions running vividly in every vein in her body. She had to get to him. There was no other choice._

_                "REMY? ANSWER ME!" She cried urgently as she struggled to get to him, but still, she could not move her legs. _

_                Then, the white became black as a dark shadow cast over the land around them. Within minutes, it turned back to white again, Remy was still lying facedown in a pool of blood before her, her legs still wouldn't budge, but the one difference now was there was a new presence. _

_                A sinister presence._

_                "WHAT DID YA DO TO HIM, YOU MONSTER?" She screamed with fury as she stared straight into the eyes of the madman known to the very few as Nathaniel Essex, but to everyone else who have crossed his path as Mr. Sinister. _

_                A sadistic chuckle flowed out of his thin ash lips as he hovered above Remy's broken body. The glint of amusement in his dark blood-coloured red eyes did not sooth Rogue's mind at all. Instead, she struggled within her immobile state while cursing profusely at the apocalyptic monster that from time to time acted as if he was God, himself. _

_                "It doesn't matter what you do, my dear. You won't be able to move. But, honestly, what do you care? After all, did you not leave Gambit here? Did you not want to see him dead for his sins?" Sinister taunted as he landed softly in the snow next to the pool of blood that matched his own crimson eyes so well. _

_                "No! That is not what ah wanted! This is not what happened! Ah saw Remy, he's in N'awlins, he's fine! If only ah can move these darn legs of mine… what are ya doing to him??" She asked frantically, as she saw Sinister lift Remy's head back by his hair. The way Remy's neck twisted backwards and the way his eyes rolled back into its sockets leaving only the black visible, Rogue was beyond panic now. She tried to pry her legs off, even attempted to gnaw them off, but nothing worked. _

_                "Stop it! Stop hurting him!" She cried as she watched the malicious acts of almost decapitation of her loved one, happening right before her eyes. _

_                "This is what you wanted, right? You left him here to die a freezing death, so what matters what I do to him? You rejected him in the cruelest way possible, what I do now fails in comparison to what you did to this man. You are responsible for what he is right now. But, though you don't want him, I still might find some uses for him. There are still quite a few things that I have been needing a master thief to do." Sinister explained as he let go of Remy's head, which dropped down back into the scarlet snow. _

_                "He's hurt! He's dying! Let him go. Ah'll take him back. Ah need him. Let him go!" Rogue begged desperately, for there was nothing else she could do but beg. _

_                Sinister only stared at her with an amused wickedness and laughed his vicious hollow laugh. _

Her eyes popped open as she sprung up in bed. Beads of sweat formed at her forehead and temples, as she reached over to turn on the bedside lamp. His laughter was still ringing in her ears as she tried to calm her shaking. The nightmare had felt so real; Remy had looked so real. The emotional roller coaster that was her dream only caused her to shake further as a sudden coldness came over her.

                Quickly, she got off her bed and headed for the dresser. She yanked a drawer open and grabbed her uniform. As she was about to change into her uniform, she realized that it didn't make sense. It was merely a dream. It wasn't real, no matter how real it had felt. The uniform got tossed onto the dresser top as she headed back to her bed.

                Remy was fine. He wasn't in Antarctica. He was in New Orleans, probably back with the Guild. He had a life now; a life that didn't include her or Sinister. She was sure of this. Even if she made a trip to New Orleans, what would she say to him when she saw him? That she had checked up on him because she had a dream about him? That even through all the trying times together, she came back to him because of a dream? Not even because she was fighting for their love again. Not even because she was raising his child all by herself for the past two years. But because she had a dream about him?

                No, it was an irrational act to do. The dream was only a dream. That was it.

                But then again, what if Remy did needed her?

                All her collisions of thoughts ended, as soon as she heard a faint crying from the baby monitor. Without another thought, she flew to the nursery in a matter of seconds and took her baby into her arms. His crying ceased as soon as his mother's arms were around him. She examined him, and breathed a sigh of relief knowing that he was fine. However, one look into his eyes, her heart broke all over again. The emerald eyes on velvet black stared straight into her own pair of emeralds.

                 There was perhaps only one thing that was actually true in her dream. She needed Remy. She had always needed him.

-xoxo-

                "STOP IT!" He screamed as he sprung up in a cold sweat. He scanned the pitch dark room feverously, but he still couldn't see her. Rapidly, he got up off the bed and tuned on the lights. But what the light offered him was definitely not what he had hoped for. She wasn't in sight at all.

                Recollection arose in his mind, as he realized that she was never in sight in the first place. He had only dreamt that she was being tortured in a malevolent way and that she was being tortured by no other than his former employer, while he watched from the side, completely stationary to the ground and helpless. It wasn't a dream; it was a nightmare.

                Reaching towards his pants' pocket, he fumbled for a cigarette. Placed nervously between his shaking fingers, he lit it and inhaled deeply. An exhale of smoke expelled from his mouth as he tried to put some sense and reason to his nightmare. It had started out like all his dreams usually did. She was in the same white dress, he would hold her, she would tell him that she loved him, and it was bliss from there on.

                But this time, instead of telling him she loved him, he had appeared. _Sinister_ had appeared.

                In a matter of minutes, Remy was standing aside helpless while he watched the heartless bastard do things to his Rogue that he couldn't think another human being could ever do to one person. But then again, Sinister wasn't exactly human.

                Yet, it was all a dream. Remy had to keep reminding himself that it was a dream. Rogue was safe in the confines of the Xavier Institute. There was absolutely no way Sinister could get to her with a bunch of X-Men running around. Rogue, herself, was a tough woman as well. She did, after all, possessed incredible strength, invulnerability and the power to fly. She was safe and could protect herself.

                With all the sense he made of this matter, he still couldn't shake it though. Something in the pit of his stomach told him that she was in trouble and that she needed him despite all the cruelties that the both of them had endured in their relationship.

                All the sense and reason left his mind as he dressed immediately. His instincts were too strong, and the dream had felt too real. Even if he had to watch her from afar to ensure that she was indeed fine, he had to _know_ that she was. After all, he loved her. He had always loved her.

---------------------------------


	8. Come and Go

- Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own these character or marvel…blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** I'm not too happy with this chapter, though the original was actually two chapters. But, I re-wrote it and I do like this better than the original though, I'm still not too happy with it. But, I can't seem to get this chapter to work the way I want it to, so we're all just going to have to settle for this. I apologize but I did give it my best. :) Also, the song is called 'Songbird' by Eva Cassidy, who I do believe is one of the best singers I've ever heard. May her soul rest in peace.

**Star-of-Chaos:** Definitely a good thing that Rogue had her bracelet. I doubt Storm would have much of a hand if she didn't ;P **Ludi:** I'm glad you liked the dream in the beginning of the last chapter. Personally, I thought it was either going to be one of those things that hit home with the reader or totally ruin what he/she thinks of the character. And I like babies up until a certain points… actually, I just have a problem with the kids these days…as soon as they realize what money is… it's all downhill from then on and whine whine whine. Sinister coming back… ehh… honestly, I wrote this dumb story when I first got into comics which was only ten months ago. I had no clue what was really going on. I didn't know the dynamics of the characters or the relationships and all that crap. That is why this story isn't really working for me at the moment, but I'll try my hardest as long as I know you're reading. Your reviews make me actually want to work hard on these stories of mine… so thanks! Man, and I have to say that I love the 'dangerous foreplay' picture you did. INCREDIBLE! One day, I'm gonna ask to buy all the prints of your works and paste it in my x-men collector's room… just have to get that room one day. Cheers, luv! **Ivy Tearan:** Remy'll find out about the little one soon enough. Though finding out and meeting the child are two different things as you shall see in this chapter. **Keebler-elmo:** Thanks for the words of encouragment. I'm trying. **Evosmylife:** It's okay about the Joseph thing. I was only slight confused, but, hey, when am I not confused about something? Never I say! Anywho, your wish is my command. **Ishandahalf:** LoL, your review got me chuckling as usual. Love the whole Belle thing. SO FUNNY! How are the exams going? Dreadful, I'm guessing since exams are always dreadful. I hate school… I don't even get off until august… sigh well, when you're off the ff.net world will be blessed with some more stories from you…so hurry up and ace those exams and start writing. That way, I'll write less and read more! It's easier reading than writing. :P **Sevgrlx:** I'm hoping you haven't been glued to your computer screen too long… it's not good for the eyes. Well, here's the long awaited chapter… hope I didn't disappoint you too bad. :) **The 'Pike:** That reviewer who seems like she's about to burst a blood vessel is always like that. Quite entertaining, don't you think? ;P Yeah, I didn't think they went all the way either, but I like to be delusional sometimes and convinced myself they did to satisfy those little empty holes in my heart that need to be filled with assumed romantic encounters between my two favorite fictional characters since I don't seem to have anything going on in my life as of this moment. Wow, was that a run-on sentence or what? And your hints were noted ;P **DemonicGambit:** You can make any reference you want. I'm naturally a confused person, so it doesn't matter at all. Cheers! **Aro: **Remy always winds up showing up. Anywho, I'm sorry about your computer croaking. I had to kill mine too last weekend. Don't computer suck? I mean they always get sick with viruses and cause all sort of problems, yet we are so dependent on it and without it there would be no ff.net. Life is so unfair sometimes… we should Shi'ar technology. I doubt their computers get viruses or croak. **Wabi-Shabi:** I don't mind the late reviews. Honestly, I'm surprised people are still reviewing any of my work since I have a brand new ugly account that I hate. Oh well, c'est la vie. Anywho, _Shouldn't Be So Hard_ was update as you probably noticed. It'll be update again… in who knows when. I want to try to finish this ugly story first. I know you read the first version, and I want your honest opinion. Which version do you like more? I'm leaning towards this one because there's less grammar mistakes… but despite the grammar mistakes, which version is better? Perhaps, I should start posting up the old chapters for this story and stop re-writing it all together. I'm not quite sure… anywho, yes, Jack Harper is so much more dreamier than Luke Brandon because he's funnier than Luke. Though, I would think Luke is more handsome… though I love Jack. I want to marry Jack. Okay, enough of my crazy talk. Cheers! **Sharon:** Thanks for those words of encouragement! That was super sweet of ya! **Smiley664:** It's a cute baby name… notice the similarities to Gambit's name? And update I did, though I doubt it was soon enough. Enjoy nonetheless!

**A Different Way to a Perfect Ending**

            "Baby… Momma ain't gonna ask again. Now, can ya please open your mouth?" Rogue said calmly as she positioned the spoonful of carrots in front of his mouth. He shook his head 'no', and clenched his teeth.

                "Momma's getting mad now, Jeremy. Be a good boy and eat your carrots." She ordered in a stern tone. Again, he shook his head 'no' and kept his teeth clenched together.

                "Fine… ah give up. Don't eat your carrots. Then, ya just won't grow up big and strong like Uncle Wolvie." Rogue stated as she attempted a little reverse psychology.

                "Unca Wolvie eat carrot?" The little boy asked skeptically.

                "Lots and lots of carrots. How ya think he got so big?" Rogue questioned.

                "J'remy eat carrots, big and strong wit' claws like Unca Wolvie?" He queried, as he tried to make sense of what his mother was suggesting.

                "Ya got that right, baby boy. But since Jeremy don't wanna eat any carrots… guess Momma will just have t'eat them all and become big and strong like Unca Wolvie myself." She said lightly and turned the spoonful of carrots towards her own mouth.

                "No! J'remy wants carrots!" He exclaimed loudly.

                "Are ya sure about that, sugah?" Rogue asked, though she was already positioning the spoonful in front of him.

                "Mmhmm! _Please, Momma._" He drawled the last words in a faint Southern accent that he undoubtedly picked up from Rogue, and which it always did the trick of getting what he wanted.

                "Okie dokie… if that's what ya really want. Open up, baby."  She cooed, and he obliged to her request. After a few successful spoonfuls fed, Rogue smiled contently as she fed him the very last portion of his carrots.

                He munched on it but then the carrots went spewing out and all over Rogue and himself, when he screamed, "UNCA WOLVIE!"

                Wolverine had just entered the kitchen with his head buried in the newspaper, but he jumped back slightly at the overly excited response from his godson. He looked up from his paper and saw an extremely happy kid covered in carrots bit sitting next to an extremely angry mother also covered in carrots. Even though he was not directly responsible, Logan still felt bad for the mess.

                "Hey Kid. Hey Rogue." Logan greeted.

                "Hi." Rogue replied curtly as she reached for the towels.

                Logan walked over to the two of them and lifted the boy into his arms. "Go play now?" Jeremy asked eagerly.

                "How about we clean you up first and this mess… then we'll go play?" Logan suggested. Rogue's shoulder relaxed as she mouthed a 'thank you' to Logan.

                "Okay!" The boy agreed heartily.

                "Momma's gonna go teach now, sugah. Be good for Uncle Wolvie, okay? Momma will see ya later." Rogue said and kissed the top of her son's head good-bye.

                "Bye bye, Momma!" He called after her, but quickly returned his attention to his favorite playmate that happened to be a man about fifty times older than he was.

                "Unca Wolvie… can we play wit' claws and fight bad guys?" Jeremy asked and smiled a huge grin. Logan was about to agree when he smelled a rather unpleasant odour coming from the little boy's bottom. He groaned as he reached for the diaper bag.

                 "Trust me, kid. I'd take on Magneto, Sabretooth and Apocalypse over changing your diaper any day." He mumbled and headed towards the nearest bathroom.

-xoxo-

                Walking aimlessly around the mansion, Rogue finally found herself in the recreation room where not a single mutant was in sight. Immediately taking advantage of the situation, she lied down on the couch and closed her eyes. For the past week, she had been haunted by nightmares of Remy being mutilated or experimented on in the cruelest ways imaginable. Every time she woke up, she would hear that monster's laughter ringing in her ears.

                Yes, she had been tempted to fly down to New Orleans to check up on Remy, but every time she was about to do it, all sense and reason came back to her again. She managed to talk herself out of going because she knew that if he were fine, he would only hate her for intruding in his life. It would just pain her more knowing that she increased his hatred for her.

                Plus, dreams were just dreams, she tried to convince herself unsuccessfully. Rogue knew that Remy would be able to handle himself in any situation. She also knew that he wouldn't be foolish enough to get involved with Sinister ever again. Thus, she really didn't have anything to worry about. Though, that didn't stop her from worrying.

                What did stop her though, was the delightful squeal of a little boy. "MOMMA!"

                Her eyes flashed open and she was staring into the gorgeous green on black eyes of her baby boy, who was being piggybacked by Logan. It was an awkward sight especially since only Jeremy could have Logan do whatever he wanted him to do. "Hey Rogue." Logan said gruffly and looked away, while his cheeks flushed slightly to show his embarrassment.

                "Hi Logan. Hi sugah. Think Uncle Wolvie's getting tired, baby. Come here t'momma." Rogue said and relieved Logan of the boy.

                "Momma, J'remy play wit' Unca and big claws 'n fight bad guys go ROAR! Claws big and strong too! Unca eats lotsa carrots like J'remy!" He explained excitedly and jumped up and down at the mere recollection of watching his godfather train lightly in the danger room.

                "That's nice, sugah," Rogue told her child with a smile on her face before she turned to the stout man next to her. "Logan… didn't ah say that ah didn't want him in the danger room?" Rogue asked sternly.

                "Well… umm… the things was… he wouldn't shut-up…so y'know how he likes seeing me rip someone apart, right, darling?" Logan explained uncomfortably as he shifted his feet around.

                "Goodness Gracious, Logan! Ya know how that boy does anything t'get ya t'do what he wants. You're a grown man, ya have the authority t'tell him no." Rogue lectured.

                "Oh c'mon now! Look at his face and tell me how t'say no." Logan challenged.

                "You're hopeless, Logan." Rogue said and rolled her eyes.

                 "It's your fault for making me godfather." Logan pointed out.

                "Ah did that just 'cause there ain't no one else who ah know that can protect this boy like ya can." Rogue responded.

                "Well, if that's the case. Why am I third in line to get him?" Logan questioned.

                "Because Kurt is family and Ororo will be able t' discipline him unlike someone else ah know…" Rogue said and eyed Logan.

                "Fine. I won't bring him to the danger room next time." Logan said brusquely.

                "Good. Anyhow, Ah think it's 'bout time we go now, baby." She said to her boy who had his arms wrapped around his mother's neck.

                "Okay, Momma." He agreed happily.

                "Say good-bye t'uncle Wolvie." Rogue instructed. The smiling boy leaned over to his godfather and gave him a kiss on the forehead. "Bye Bye Unca Wolvie. J'remy had great time." He said.

                Logan patted the child on the head and said, "anytime, Kid. I'll walk you two out." He took Rogue's bags and accompanied them to the door.

                "Thanks for watching him t'day, Logan… despite ya disregardin' my wishes. Ah really appreciated it." Rogue thanked.

                "It's no problem. I'd do it anytime. Call if you two need anything and drive safely." Logan instructed.

                "Ah will. Don't worry. We'll see ya tomorrow." Rogue said and took the bag from Logan.

                "Yeah. I'll see you two tomorrow." Logan said while watching the two get into their car. The last thing he remembered seeing was Jeremy waving good-bye through the car window before Rogue sped off.

-xoxo-

                The purr of his motorcycle died off as he parked next to the door. He stared at the door for the longest time, pondering what he should do next. Part of him wanted to sneak around the mansion and watch Rogue from afar. The other part of him really wanted to see her in person. That part was the hopeful side of him, where he dreamt that when she saw him, thing would miraculously work themselves out and they would be in love again.

                It was no surprise that his hopeful side got the best of him in his time of desperation.

                He boldly walked up to the door, hesitated for a second but knocked on the door loudly.

                The door whipped open and he found himself looking into the menacing eyes of his former teammate, Wolverine.

                "What the hell are ya doin' here?" He growled.

                "Well, bonjour to y' too." Remy greeted in an attempt to lighten the mood.

                "Ain't what I asked, Gumbo." Logan snarled.

                "Need t' see Rogue." Remy answered curtly.

                "She ain't here." Logan responded just as curtly.

                "Well, den where is she?" Remy asked concernedly.

                "Thought ya didn't care about here anymore." Logan pointed out and glared at the man.

                "Y'know it ain't like dat." Remy responded briskly.

                "Funny… ya could have fooled me, Cajun. Didn't know that absence means ya care. If that's so, show her how much ya care and leave." Logan sneered and was about to slam the door on Remy except he stopped him by pushing the door back.

                "Dis ain't about you and me. Dis is about Rogue and me. So, tell me where she is. Dere's t'ings we need t'work out, and you know it." Remy requested firmly and with a deep determination.

                Logan ignored his request and simply observed him. In all honest, Remy looked like a mess and he smelled like one too. The dirty clothes, the unshaven stubble, and the nest-like hair, all meant that he must have been driving non-stop for hours if not days. Though still feeling no sympathy for his former teammate, it wasn't until he stared into Remy's blood-shot eyes that compassion overcame the feral man. It had been two years since any of the X-men had seen Remy, but more importantly, his godson had never seen Remy. Jeremy had never seen his own father, and despite Rogue's unspoken wishes, it was about time the little boy did. Logan knew what it felt like to grow up without the strong foundation of a family. It was one of the many reasons why he still held so much contempt and anger for the world that gave life to him only to be hated.

                No matter what the circumstances, Jeremy didn't deserve not knowing where he came from and in a sense, who he really was.

                "Rogue ain't here." Logan responded, still pondering whether or not he should inform Remy of Rogue's whereabouts.

                "Please, just tell me where she is." Remy requested calmly, but now he held a sort of desperation that Logan couldn't ignore anymore.

                "She moved out a while ago." Logan said.

                "Moved out? Quand? Pourquoi?" Remy asked with surprise and worry.

                "Yes. A year ago. Because she felt she needed to." Logan answered.

                "Why did she need to?" Remy inquired.

                "Because… ain't my place t'say actually." Logan replied.

                "Somet'ings not right… dere has to be a reason. Tell me." Remy demanded.

                "I said it ain't my place. She should be the one who tells you."

                "Den where is she? Where can I find her?"

                "She's gonna kill me for this…" Logan mumbled underneath his breath. "I'll give you the address, but Cajun, I'm warning ya, if you hurt you'll have to answer to me. She's happy now. Don't talk to her if you're only gonna take it away." Logan snarled while his right claws shot out with a sharp 'snikt'.

                "I get your point. Now, address _please."_

-xoxo-

                _2272 Sandstone Drive. _

                That was what it said on the piece of paper, he managed to get from Wolverine earlier. He looked up again, and in front of him was a relatively small blue house with a white picket fence. The number of the house was _2272, _matching the numbers on the piece of paper. He studied the house but only one word could sum it all up in his mind, quaint. The house was quaint.

                A small smile appeared as he tried to picture the word 'Rogue' next to the word 'quaint'. Somehow, he just couldn't picture it. Sassy. Sexy. Tough. Exciting. All those words came to mind, but not 'quaint'.

                With two hands planted on the seat of his bike, he leaned back as he tried to summon the necessary courage to go see her. It was no surprise that he leaned there for quite a while.

                Various reasons and explanations flowed through his mind as he attempted to figure out why Rogue had moved out on her own in the first place. She was never one to want a house to herself, unless… but she couldn't be. She wasn't able to touch. There was no man alive who could live without touch for the rest of his life. But that was the only explanation that made sense. Rogue had to be married. Otherwise, she wouldn't purchase a house on her own because if she did, it would only remind her of how solitary her life really was.

                Also, Logan had said she was happy. Remy truly couldn't see anything that would make her happier than being in love and married. He knew that was always what Rogue coveted, and he had secretly coveted that for her to. Though, the only difference was that he had wanted to be the one she was in love with; the one she was married to.

                Without even thinking rationally about the situation, he strode up to her door and pounded lightly on it, ready to find out if his deepest desire was still remotely obtainable. 

-xoxo-

                _"For you, there'll be no crying,_

_                 For you, the sun will be shining. _

_                'Cause I feel that when I'm with you._

_                It's alright, I know it's right. _

_                And the songbirds keep singing like they know the score. _

_                And I love you. I love you. I love you. _

_                Like never before…."_

"Good night, baby boy." Rogue ended her song as she kissed the top of her son's sleeping head. Instead of leaving his room though, she lingered for a few more moments, just enjoying the beauty of her baby's peaceful slumber. With the tips of her fingers, she brushed the side of his face lightly.

                It was no more than seven o'clock, but the boy was already exhausted. Usually, when he spent the day with Logan, he always came home exhausted. Even though he was tired during the trip home from the mansion, the little boy still managed to inform his mother of every single thing he did while he was under the care of his godfather.

                _'Unca Wolvie show J'remy big claws.'_

_                'J'remy help Unca Wolvie fight big guys go ROAR!'_

_                'J'remy eat candy find on floor.'_

His sweet little voice could still be heard by Rogue as she smiled at the recollection of all that her son had told her. It was odd that he addressed himself in third person even though Remy wasn't even around to influence him. Though, it could be her fault and practically everyone else who had had a hand in raising the child. For some reason, the adults felt compelled to address themselves in third person as if encouraging the child to remember who's name was whose. He remembered all right, but managed to refer to himself in third person as well to remind the adults and often himself, what his own name was.

                She planted another soft kiss on his head before she crept out of the room quietly. Once out the room, she proceeded to the living room and lied down on the sofa while she channel surfed. The television turned off as quickly as it had been turned on though for she couldn't stand another news report featuring anti-mutant activities. She opted to lie on the couch with her eyes closed instead.

                Her peace wouldn't last though, as she heard a loud knock at the door. Not in a mood to deal with any salesman or another person trying to convert her to some cult-like religion, she attempted to ignore the visitor's call.

                _Knock Knock_

                The visitor persisted and she still didn't move.

                _Knock Knock_

A third round of tapping on the door began, and this time, Rogue couldn't ignore the person any longer. She got up grudgingly and stomped towards the front door. In position to hiss and scowl, she yanked open the door and immediately gasped in surprise.

                "What the hell are ya doing here, Remy Lebeau?" She queried as she rubbed both her eyes to ensure that she wasn't only imagining him. But as clear as day, Remy was indeed standing in front of her with his hair disheveled, a light beard on his face and in scruffy clothes. He never looked better to her.

                Remy stared at Rogue, unable to pry his eyes away from her even if it meant his life depended on it. She was dressed in a pair of dark denims and a green t-shirt. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, but the white of strands still framed her face. The lavender scent exuded from her and that was all he could breathe in. She never looked better to him. 

                "Ya plan t'answer me, Gambit?" She managed to ask, as she became apprehensive of his sudden appearance.

                "Was in de neighborhood, chere. T'ought Remy should drop by and say 'bonjour'." He responded lightly.

                "Hello to ya too…" Rogue mumbled

                "Right…" He murmured awkwardly.

                "Well, if there ain't anything else, ah'll be going in now." She responded uneasily.

                "Wait… non. Dat's not just it. We need t'talk." Remy said boldly.

                "About what?" She asked curiously, though she knew that she was getting her hopes up for nothing.

                "Us." Remy replied.

                As soon as he said that, Rogue's eyes filled with tears. The way he had acknowledged that they still had a connection reminded her of how false their relationship really was and how it didn't exist at all. They had managed to cut the other out of their own lives, and for him to stand before her and imply that he hadn't let go of her completely only caused pain in her.

                "There's nothing t'talk about, Remy. Ya made that clear two years ago." She said resentfully.

                Taken aback by her hostile stance, Remy could see that his presence hurt her and he shouldn't have expected otherwise. After all, he had led her to believe that there was nothing more between them and that he would never forgive her for what she did to him. She had believed him too, and she had built herself a life – a life without him, but a happier life nonetheless. But here he was again, standing before her without a clue of what to do next, yet knowing that inevitably his mere presence would only hurt her and the world she had created for herself.

                "Rogue…I'm…"

                "Sorry. Ah get it. You're sorry. Ah'm sorry. It's the same damn story we keep feeding each other, Remy, but we ain't ever gonna believe it. Why are ya here? Why are ya here when ah finally believe that perhaps we aren't meant t'be?" Rogue asked as the tears flowed relentlessly down her face.

                "I just needed t'see y'…" He responded meekly as he could see how torn up she was becoming.

                "Did ya really need to now? Why? Why are ya doin' this, Remy? Why are ya being so foolish here? Ya ended us… Ah let ya go. Now, ya stand here and make me remember all that ah've been trying t'suppress. Ya stand here and force me t'open up those wounds that would never heal. Ya stand there and make me want ya again… ah can't live like this, Remy. Just leave." She requested softly.

                "Rogue…please…"

                "All we do is hurt each other, Remy. It's 'bout time we stopped." She stated strongly and one more look into his ruby orbs, she turned around and headed back into the house, promptly closing the door behind her.

                Immobile but still staring at the door, he was confused beyond reason though the only conclusion he could settle on was that it had been a mistake to come here. Thinking back, he knew that he had shown up based on a foolish dream with no real strategies on how to approach her besides watching her from afar. But instead of watching her from afar, he had let his emotions get the best of him, which resulted in him hurting her again.

                All his rationalizing was interrupted violently though as a loud deafening scream was heard from inside Rogue's house. Immediately, he busted through her front door and ran in the direction of the screaming. He found her frantically looking around a nursery rampantly.

                "Where are ya? Jeremy, where are ya?? Answer Momma! Please!" She cried repeatedly as she flipped random furniture over while looking feverously.

                Remy grabbed one of wildly flinging arms, and held her still long enough to ask, "Rogue, talk t'me. What's wrong?"

                "He's gone, Remy! He's gone! Ah can't find him! Ya have t'help me. JEREMY? WHERE ARE YA?" She called loudly, as she ran out of the nursery to search the rest of the house. Remy followed in pursuit as he attempted to focus on the situation at hand and ignore his initial shock of finding out that Rogue had a son.

                "Rogue, calm down. Tell me what's going on. Who's Jeremy? Where's his father? Maybe his father has him." Remy tried to reason, though every word that left his mouth, he could fell his world crumble before him.

                "He can't be with his father! He doesn't have a father. He's gone, Remy! We have to find him. JEREMY? ANSWER MOMMA, PLEASE!" Rogue begged loudly while tearing her house upside down.

                "Rogue, chere, calm down. We'll find him." Remy attempted to soothe Rogue. He grabbed her into his arms, but she struggled to get out of his grasp.

                "Ya don't understand, Remy. He's just a child… he was just here. He was sleepin'. Someone took him! Ah need t'find him. Ah need him now!" Rogue cried frantically as her green eyes burned with worry.

                "Do y' know who took him? What does he look like? How old is he?" Remy asked the necessary questions so he knew who he was looking for.

                "He's gorgeous, Remy. Light shaggy auburn hair, two years old, wit' the prettiest eyes, Remy. Green on black. Ah need him, Remy. We have to find him! Ah can't lose him. He was just here. We have to find him! JEREMY!" Rogue shouted as she broke out of Remy's grasp and continued to look frantically around her small blue house.

                Remy stood stationary for a few moments while the words sunk in. _Green on black. _ Those words stuck in his mind, and he needed to know. Even if it was a long shot, he needed to know. He ran after Rogue and grabbed her by the wrist.

                "Rogue, who's de petite's pere?" He asked firmly.

                "We'll talk later, we have t'find him now!" She tried to brush him off, but he kept his grip on her.

                "Rogue, answer me." He demanded.

                "You're the father! Now, we have to find him. Jeremy, sugah, where are ya, baby??" She yelled and tried to break out of Remy's grasp to continue her search.

                He wouldn't let go though, as the words sunk in. He pulled her back and gripped both her wrists. Her eyes, however, were scanning the entire room while he tried to get her to focus on him for a second.

                "Rogue, look at me." He requested sternly.

                "Jeremy? Answer Momma! JEREMY?" She screamed and ignored Remy's demand.

                "Rogue, we'll find de petite, but first, look at me." Remy requested more firmly. Then, realizing Remy was standing before her, she obliged to his request. However, one look into his red eyes, the pieces clicked together. Remy's red eyes reminded her of another pair of darker crimson orbs. All those dreams of Remy being mutilated, experimented on, and killed flooded her mind and she knew. She knew where Jeremy was.

                "Sinister! Sinister has him! REMY, WE NEED TO GET HIM BACK! REMY WE HAVE TO GO GET HIM BACK!" Rogue cried frantically as her mother's intuition kicked in.

                Remy's paternal instincts seemed to have kicked too as he pieced all the signs together. Every night he had been haunted by dreams of Sinister enslaving Rogue and doing deeds that was hardly imaginable by any human being. The dreams had to be planted. It was the only way Remy would have dropped everything to return to Rogue. _Sinister_ had led him back here to see Rogue, to distract her long enough so the child would be left alone; long enough for him to take the child.

                "Remy, please. We have to get him back. Please, we have t'get him back!" She cried desperately.

                Naturally, Remy took her into his arms and held her. "We will, chere. I promise we will."

----------------------------------------


	9. Half finished Confrontations

- Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own these character or marvel…blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** Anywho, this chapter is much better than the original. It's more realistic I supposed in the way the two would communicate with each other and what not. Not to mention, I made it so that the team didn't accept Gambit back so easily. But, honestly, I'm getting really busy with stuff like work and relaxing since I'm out of school and the weather is gorgeous in Vancouver that I haven't much time to really write anything. But, I want to finish this story in a few chapters so I can upload the sequel and finally – well, almost finally be back where I was before. Plus, I want to start the sequel for **Somewhere I Belong**, so I'll try to get this done as fast as I can. :) And I'll respond to reviews next time… I'm dead tired.

"_Why can't we give love one more chance? 'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word. And love dares you to care." – Queen_ (been listening to a lot of Queen lately :)

**A Different Way to a Perfect Ending**

            The glow started out small but quickly engulfed the card into a fiery crimson. A flick over his shoulder, and the card exploded with a loud 'boom'. The sound was followed up by a frustrated curse as he clenched his other hand into a tight fist. All around him there were people scrambling about, but he ignored the activity as he continued to curse the man that perhaps had changed the outcome of his life for the worse or the better, depending on who one asked. Angry growling became louder and when it caught up with the rest of the team, Gambit looked up with a faint hope.

                "Wolverine, did you pick up anything?" Storm asked.

                "I did, but lost the scent a few blocks from here." Wolverine explained bitterly and Gambit's eyes immediately lost the hope.

                "It has been two hours since Rogue lost saw him. I think we need to return to the Institute and come up with a new game plan." Cyclops stated strongly.

                "I agree with Scott. Perhaps the Professor picked up something with Cerebro." Jean added in as she began to look a little strained herself, but the whole team did by this point. Two hours of intense searching, and not even a footstep could be found.

                "Slim… the child could be in serious danger if we don't act quick." Wolverine pointed out as a few worry lines were added to the already apparent ones on his forehead.

                "Wolverine, we've been scanning the area for two hours already. If we had some sort of chance of recovering the child when we first got here, there's no doubt that we've completely lost it by now. I'm the leader of this team, and we're going to go back to the mansion and figure out how to get Jeremy home and safe." Cyclops ordered as he looked over at the other X-men.

                "I agree vit' Cyclops. As much as I want my nephew back now, ve aren't going t'find him here." Nightcrawler agreed.

                "Rogue's going to be devastated…" Gambit heard ShadowCat mumble to Iceman. Though he tried to dismiss the words, he couldn't because he knew it was true. When the team had arrived, Rogue was in such a state of panic that Beast had to inject a stabilizer in her. She quickly passed out from the drug, and Beast had taken her back to medical lab of Institute. Despite the fact that Gambit was extremely angry with his love, the anticipation of having to look her in the eyes and inform her that he had not saved their child was going to be painful for both of them.

                Another flick of the hand, and another 'boom' followed with another 'merde'.

                "Ya think ya can cut that out?" Wolverine snarled at Gambit. Even though he knew it wasn't Gambit's fault, he couldn't help but blame the man for his godson's disappearance.

                "Fuck off." Gambit sneered back as his mood became more hostile every passing minute. As soon as those words left his mouth, Wolverine pounced on him with both claws shooting out. Placing a claw right up against Gambit's neck, he barked, "Don't fuckin' talk to me like that. This is your fault and y'know it. I warned you to not talk to her if ya were gonna take it away from her and ya didn't fucking listen. You better pray that the Kid is safe, 'cause if he ain't, there's gonna be some blood to shed. I can fuckin' guarantee that."

                With a charged card in hand and positioned above Wolverine's head, Gambit responded with as much intensity, "He's my son."

                "Ya don't deserve t'call him your son." Wolverine growled as he pressed the blades deeper into his neck. However, Wolverine's advantageous position wouldn't last as Gambit quickly turned the table by flipping the stout man over. Gambit recovered swiftly as he sprung up on his legs with a few charged cards in hand; ready to be thrown at the feral man.

                "Whether or not I deserve t'call de petite my own, he is my son. Remember dat." Gambit hissed as he threw the cards at Wolverine who managed to dodge two out of the three. The third one hit him in the shoulder; and upon contact, it exploded and caused an excruciating burn. Wolverine managed to keep in the cry of pain while his healing power kicked in. He was about to charge at the Cajun again when he found himself frozen in mid-air.

                "Stop it, you two! This is not helping anything!" Jean said sternly as she used her telekinetic powers to hold Wolverine in place.

                "Jean's right. You two are acting like children." Storm added in.

                "Jeanie, let me down." Wolverine asked in a forced calm.

                "Not until you promise me that you're going to act civilized." Jean insisted. Wolverine growled but nodded his head in agreement. Jean let go of her hold on him and he landed promptly on his feet. Though he kept his side of the agreement, he still eyed Gambit with hostility.

                "We've wasted enough time as it is. Team, assemble on to the Blackbird. We're heading back to the Institute." Cyclops ordered.

                The rest of the team obliged to their leader's command, some more reluctantly than others. As Wolverine walked past Gambit, he snarled loudly before continuing grudgingly to the Blackbird. Gambit responded simply by flinging a charged card that landed right behind Wolverine and exploded with a loud 'Boom'. Wolverine turned around and was about to charge at the Cajun, but the telepathic message he received from Jean stopped him in his tracks. Instead, he opted to growl once more at the Cajun before he returned to the Blackbird. In a few quick moments, everyone was loaded up on to the jet except for Storm and Gambit. 

                Hesitantly, yet knowing it was necessary, she walked up to her once best friend and gently said, "Gambit, I believe it's time to go."

                "I ain't part of de team anymore, Stormy." He replied and flicked another charged card over his shoulder.

                Hearing him address her as 'Stormy', the nickname she had always hated yet, at this moment she was probably the happiest upon being referred to that. "Gambit, this isn't about the team. Put your pride aside and join us on the Blackbird. I believe it would benefit your _son_ greatly." Storm said with the motherly wisdom that was always embedded in her words.

                "He's my son…" Gambit mumbled to himself.

                "He's your son and a beautiful child, might I add." Storm said softly.

                Gambit looked up at her and then towards the Blackbird. She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and said, "I think it's about time you meet him."

                He looked at her, his eyes filled with tears, "I t'ink so too."

-xoxo-

                The dull buzzing of the fluorescent light mixed with the light breathing from her sleeping self were the only sounds that emanated from the room. With a twist of the handle, he entered the room quietly and seated himself in the chair next to her. Though the yellow light would normally take away from anyone's appearance, it merely highlighted her profile perfectly. He studied her as he leaned closer in towards her.

                His hand reached out to her as the memory flooded his mind. He knew her skin was as soft as silk and he could still taste her honey-like lips. That night in the cave was all he had been living off of for the past three years. The kisses, the caresses, the touches, the heat, the passion – the memories were what kept him alive. They kept him alive while he wandered the cold arctic of the south. They kept him alive when he returned to the hostile civilized world. They kept him alive when he simply didn't feel life was worth living anymore and there were so many times in the past three years that he couldn't even keep count of how many times he was so close to blowing himself up.

                If only he had found out that he had more than memories to keep him alive. If only he had been told that those bittersweet moments were actually more sweet than bitter. If only he had known that he had a son. There were no doubts in his mind that he would have been a father to that child from the day the boy entered the world. There were no doubts that despite his resentment towards Rogue, he would have not hesitated even a bit to return to her and be a family. But he wasn't given the chance and now that he was, he wasn't even sure if he would ever even get the chance of being a father to the boy.

                "Jeremy…" She murmured softly in her sleep.

                Remy snapped out of his thoughts as he got up off his seat. "Rogue?" He queried softly.

                "Jeremy? JEREMY!" She sprung up, wide awake and with the same frantic look he had seen her with the last time she was awake.

                "Rogue, it's okay." He told her gently.

                "Remy? Where is he? Where's my baby?" She asked as she scanned the room.

                "He's still missing." He responded.

                "We have t' find him! Ah'll go find him! We have to find him!" She cried and struggled to get out of bed, but the drug was still effective as she found that her limbs weren't responding well to her persistent will.

                "Rogue, sit down. Everyt'ing will be fine." Remy said and gently helped her rest back onto the bed. She clung onto his arm and looked into his eyes where the faint familiarity of the love they once shared returned. However, she quickly let go and looked away in shame as she realized that she had been responsible for keeping him out of his son's life.

                The way she looked away from him only brought the resentment back. He leaned back into his chair as his eyes started to glow a livid crimson.

                "How could y' do it, Rogue?" He asked bitterly.

                "Ah'm…"

                "Sorry. We're always so fuckin' sorry, but dis is beyond any t'ing words would be able t'fix. How could y' do dis t'me? Did y' really t'ink dat I'm such a horrible person dat I don't even deserve t'be in my own son's life? Did y' really t'ink dat y' had to punish me even more because of what I did in de past?" He asked in a fury.

                "No! That is now how it happened! Fine. Ah was stupid. Ah let ya go. But ah came back and ah would have done anything t'right the wrong. Ah wanted to tell ya. But ya pushed me away. What was ah supposed to do? Ya wanted your freedom from me. Ya wanted nothing to do with me. And ah gave ya that!" She explained in anguish.

                "You didn't give me anyt'ing. Y' just let yourself off the hook. Y'know it and I know it. He is my son, dammit! Despite everything we went through, I deserved de right to know! He is my son!" He yelled at her.

                "Ya yell as if ya think ah didn't know that! Yes, Jeremy is your son. Yes, it's my fault that ya didn't know about him. Yes, it's my fault that ah messed up. Yes, it's my fault that he's gone because of all this. Yes, everything is my fucking fault! Ah get your point. But ya turned me away! Ya didn't want anything to do with me. And Ah know ah should have told ya about Jeremy despite all that, but you tell me how ah can spend the rest of my life raising a child wit' someone who hates every bone in my body!" She shouted as the tears flowed down her cheeks.

                Upon hearing her side of the story, his eyes softened as he took in a deep breath. "I don' hate you." He whispered.

                "Ya did a good job of showing that." She replied sarcastically.

                "Remember dat I'm not de one who kept your child from you." He responded bitterly as he felt his anger returning. Ready to respond with hurtful words of her own, she prevented herself from saying them as her senses returned.

                "Oh God… Remy when are we gonna stop doing this to each other? When are we gonna stop hurtin' each other like this?" She asked and gazed into his eyes.

                "I don' know, chere." He mumbled softly.

                "Remy, please believe me when ah say ah'm sorry. Ah didn't mean t'hurt ya like this. Not a day went by that ah didn't t'ink of tellin' ya about Jeremy. If ah could change back time, ah would do it in a second. Ah'm so sorry." She apologized as she kept her eye contact with him.

                "Rogue, I didn' t hate y'. I could never hate you. I just couldn't accept dat y' made a mistake. It was too simple dat way… I didn't want t'understand. I was angry wit' my life, wit' de fates, wit' everyt'ing in dis world. It was just easier t' be angry wit' you." He explained openly.

                "Ya had every right t' be angry with me. It was my fault. No matter the circumstances, ah shouldn't have let go. And ah should have told ya about Jeremy. Now… ya may never…" She stopped mid-sentence as her throat tightened up and the tears flowed uncontrollably.

                "We're gonna find him. He'll be fine. Don't you dare give up on him yet… not when I still haven't had de chance t'be a good pere t'de boy." Remy stated strongly and seated himself on the edge of Rogue's bed.

                "He's beautiful, Remy. Everything about him reminds me of ya. You'll fall in love wit' the child… he's so gorgeous." Rogue choked.

                "I know he is… y' are de mother after all." Remy commented softly as he gazed into Rogue's watery emerald orbs. Every nerve in his body wanted to reach out and hold her, but there was still so much uncertainty and things that needed to be said. Yet, those eyes, and the way her lips quivered with fear - naturally he found himself pulling her into his arms. Her shoulders were tense at first but relaxed as the familiar comfort of being in his arms returned. She clung on to him and breathed in the spicy musk scent that he emanated. He held her close as he allowed himself to drown in the lavender aroma that she always radiated.

                "I missed you." The words slipped from his mouth with no restraint.

                "Ah missed ya too." The words slipped from her mouth with no hesitation.

                 A few moments of bliss passed before the former lovers pulled away from each other.

                The awkwardness resumed itself in the atmosphere as both their eyes shied away from each other. There were still so many words that needed to be spoken, so many problems that needed a resolution, and so many emotions that needed to be defined. But, they both knew that it wasn't the time to deal with any of it.

                Instead, he offered his hand to her and said, "I think it's time we go find de petite."

                She took his hand and replied, "Ah think so too."

--------------------------


	10. Tension

- Y'all know the dilly yo that I don't own these character or marvel…blah blah blah…

**Author's Note:** This chapter is very weak. Oh well, I'm sick of this story. I don't even want to write it anymore. Tempted to put the original crappy chapters up so I don't have to deal with this anymore. The Logan/Ororo part explains the Logan/Ororo stuff in the sequel to this story. Been very occupied with stupid things to read much fanfiction too… so, sorry to those people that  I said I would read their stories by this weekend. I can't seem to keep that promise, though, I'll get on it as soon as I'm done being in the dumps and done with preoccupying myself with stupid little dumb things. Boy, have I lost my muse… and I'm trying to work on **Shouldn't Be So Hard** and coming up with not much. Whoever has my muse… please come back with it, s'il vous plait. –sigh-

** Different Way to a Perfect Ending**

               Slash.

                _"Unca Wolvie eat cookies Momma make." Jeremy insisted as he held up a pitiful crumbling cookie from his pocket. _

Rip.

                _Wolverine took the probably diseased piece of chocolate chip cookie and reluctantly popped it into his mouth while forcing a smile the whole time._

Tear.

                _"Yummy?" Jeremy asked eagerly._

Slice.

                _Wolverine nodded his head in agreement with still a fake smile plastered on his face, though all he really wanted was to spit out the disgusting piece of 'cookie'. _

Cut.

                _Clapping followed after his response as Jeremy smiled happily while smacking the palms of his hand together._

Snikt.

                The internal organs of his victim spilled out of the gigantic gash that he was responsible for. Sensing another enemy creeping up from behind him, he whipped around with one hand containing three sharp blades and aimed it straight into the heart. When he pulled back, the enemy dropped to the floor but his heart didn't go with him. Instead, it was hanging off of his middle blade.

                A flip and it was off, and within a second he pounced forward with both claws extended. They landed in the head of another enemy, and Wolverine took him down. He pulled his claws out and rolled away from the victim. Bouncing back onto his feet, he turned around with an extended claw and aimed it at the neck.

                But he didn't pierce the opponent this time.

                 "Wolverine?" She mumbled, while only being nervous for a split second before she regained her cool.

                "What do ya want, 'Ro?" He growled.

                "Do not direct your anger towards me. You are not the only affected by this." She replied sharply.

                He retreated the blades and looked away from her. "Heard anything yet?"

                "No. But, I came down to see what have gotten you occupied for the last few hours. Now, I can see what it was." She said and looked around the danger room, where identical bodies upon bodies resembling Sinister were strewn everywhere. 

                "Well, needed t'keep myself from going insane and killin'…" He stopped himself before he could say his name. Though, she already knew whom he was referring to.

                "It's not his fault, Logan." She stated.

                "Don't stand up for him, 'Ro. He hasn't even been in the boy's life and when he returns… the boy is gone. For all we know, he still works for that bastard and this was all a set-up." Logan argued while he looked straight into her calm cobalt eyes with his angry chocolate pair.

                "You don't believe that." Ororo said firmly.

                "Frankly, I don't know what I fucking believe anymore. All I know is that Jeremy was doing fine and he was happy and safe, but as soon as he returns, the boy disappears. Can't you see that it's just not a fucking coincidence!" Logan growled.

                "Gambit is Jeremy's father. Logan, you know your accusations are false. You know that Gambit would never hurt his own flesh and blood no matter how much he despises everyone in the child's life. It's not his fault, Logan, just like it isn't _yours_." She said and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. He pulled back from her and broke eye contact.

                "You know this isn't your fault, Logan so do not blame yourself." She continued softly.

                "Fuck, 'Ro… I should have kept them here longer… I should have checked up on them… call… I should have…" He said rapidly as tears formed at the corner of his eyes.

                "Logan, there was nothing you could have done then. You didn't know.  None of us knew.  This isn't your fault. Please understand that." She insisted as she reached out to him. He turned around and one look into her forgiving eyes, he accepted her attempt and hugged her tightly. The two remained in that position for a few moments before he pulled back from her, slightly embarrassed.

                "I think it's time we join the rest of the team in searching for our godson. What do you say?" She asked and held out her hand.

                "Never heard of a better idea." He agreed and took it.

-xoxo-

                "What the hell are we waiting for, Slim?" Wolverine asked impatiently.

                "The Professor is attempting to locate Jeremy or Sinister with Cerebro." Cyclops explained with just as much impatience. The stress was definitely getting to him, like it had to everyone else, and with a hot-tempered man like Wolverine in the room, it only made the situation worse.

                "Fuck! I'm sick of standing around here. I ain't gonna wait around until it's too late. I'm going out there." Wolverine growled as he headed towards the exit.

                "Wolverine, control yourself." Cyclops demanded.

                "Slim… don't get in my way." Wolverine threatened.

                "Your attitude won't find him. Stop acting like an animal and work as if you're part of a team for once." Cyclops ordered.

                "This may be only another mission to you, but the boy could be dea…"

                "Shut up, homme!" Gambit cried and interrupted Wolverine. He had just entered the room with Rogue on his arms, and her eyes were wide with fear upon hearing the possibility of her child being dead.

                "Rogue… ya know I don't mean that." Wolverine tried to correct his mistake as he looked at her with eyes begging for forgiveness.

                "Ah know… he can't be…." She mumbled softly.

                "O'course not, chere. He's not." Gambit confirmed and squeezed her hand. It was an odd feeling, holding her hand, but it wasn't unwanted. Even though the anger was still very much there, touching her was a dream come true, a dream that had haunted him for too long now. Despite the unresolved problems that still existed between them, at that very moment, Gambit didn't ever want to let go of her hand or her again.

                "He won't be as long as ya tell us where he is." Wolverine accused menacingly.

                "I don't know where de petite is. If I did, I wouldn't be standin' here." Gambit growled in response.

                "I'm sure you don't… why the hell should we trust you? You worked for the man once, how do we know ya ain't working for him now??" Wolverine asked accusingly.

                "Because I'm not! But, I ain't got anyt'ing to prove to you or anyone!" Gambit yelled back.

                "The Kid's life at stake and you better be damn straight that you have something to prove! C'mon, Cajun… tell us where he's got him…" Wolverine said tauntingly.

                Reaching in his back pocket, Gambit pulled out a card, ready to charge it. "If I knew where _my_ son is, I wouldn't be fucking hanging out wit' y' here!"

                "Will you two just stop it!?!" Rogue screamed and the two men quickly obliged to her command.

                "Finally. Now, can we please concentrate on finding Jeremy?" She asked in a softer tone.

                "And that we can. I think I may have picked up something on Cerebro." Professor Xavier said upon entering the room.

                "Where is he, Professor? Where's my baby?" Rogue asked anxiously and rushed to Xavier's side.

                "I seemed to have picked up a trace about fifty miles northeast of New York City. Although, while I attempted to scan the area, it doesn't seem as if there are any buildings around the area." Professor Xavier explained while Rogue's face filled with disappointment again.

                "Fifty miles northeast of de big apple, was it?" Gambit questioned pensively.

                "Yes. That is exactly what I said. Do you know something, Gambit?" Professor Xavier queried.

                "Of course he knows something. He works for the man…" Wolverine growled.

                "For de last time, I don't work for dat sick bastard anymore. Get it through your t'ick head, y' son of a bitch!" Gambit shouted angrily. His insult definitely got under Wolverine's skin, as Wolverine was ready to pounce on Cajun, when Jean intervened and telekinetically stopped him.

                "What the hell is wrong wit' ya two?? Jeremy is gone and who knows what's being done t'him and all ya two can do is argue and worry about yourselves! Frankly, ah don't give a shit about what ya two do t'each other, but can we please just find my baby first??" Rogue asked exasperatedly.

                Shame glazed over both men's faces as they both grew quiet. Jean let go of her hold on Wolverine as he mumbled a soft 'sorry' to Rogue. Gambit followed in suit as well, though he apologized a little louder than Wolverine.

                "Whatever. Gambit, ya gonna tell us what ya know, sugah?" Rogue asked impatiently.

                "Dere's an underground headquarter just north of New York City. I'm pretty sure dat's what de Prof picked up. T'ough, I was sure dat de place had been abandoned long ago, but I guess not." Gambit explained and walked over to Rogue. Naturally, she extended her hand for him to take, and that he did.

                "And how do we enter this place, Gambit?" Cyclops inquired.

                "Dere's actually three entrances t'get in." Gambit answered.

                "Fine, then. We'll need three teams. Everyone assembled on the Blackbird, and we'll figure out the teams there." Cyclops commanded, and everyone quickly obliged.

                While following everyone to the Blackbird, Rogue squeezed his hand nervously and said, "Ah'm scared."

                "Dere's not'ing t'be scared of. He's fine, chere." Gambit replied and squeezed her hand reassuringly.

                "Ah… ah hope so."

---------------------------------------------


	11. In terms of three

Y'all know the dilly yo, that I don't own these characters, marvel or anything else. Blah blah blah

**Author's note: **Oh gosh golly me. For a girl who really wants this story to end (again), I'm not doing a whole lot to obtain that goal eh? Well, hopefully this story will end by the end of this month if not sooner. I'm getting sick of it and I feel like working on its sequel again. But there are also my two other stories that I'm currently working on at the moment too. Try reading **Breaking the Habit**. It's quite good… well, in my head it's quite good but that's because all the ideas I have for it haven't been written yet. Gosh… and I'm talking about writing other chapters when I can't even get this one done. I dug myself a hole here. Oh yeah, I only edit this once so there's probably mistakes that I haven't caught yet but I'll catch those things later. Anywho, I hate Marvel for going to break up Rogue and Gambit. Yes, I am really upset with this and I don't care if it's stupid that I'm this upset over something fictional, and you can call me pathetic all you want, but I'm sick of them breaking up. Just thinking about it makes me want to beat someone up. And the only series that they'll probably be together in is in UXM but Gambit looks like a freaking bum! And what's with that perm? Gosh… and I thought they couldn't get worse with the whole UXM 13 and 14 Gambit where he looks like a freaking morlock. Why must UXM artists make him look so ghastly? Okay, I'll end this rant since I'm getting upset just thinking about all this upcoming drama. _- Runs off and reads X-Men 24… the good ol' days._

**  
A Different Way To A Perfect Ending**

                Three entrances.

                Three teams.

                Three routes.

                 A series of misleading tunnels.

                _It ain't gonna be easy._

-xoxo-

                Cyclops, Phoenix and Psylocke were team number one. They had entered the hidden headquarter via the southeast entrance with not a clue where to go despite the two telepaths that made up two-thirds of the team. Patience was running low; they kept going around in circles; frustration only festered.

                "Cyclops, we have to stop." Psylocke requested irritably.

                "Stop? We can't afford to make any stops." Cyclops responded strictly.

                "If you haven't noticed, we've been walking in bloody circles for the last half an hour. This isn't getting us anywhere." She said frustratingly.

                "We're only following the path Gambit had instructed." He stated.

                "If you haven't noticed, we aren't exactly where the central control room is. Not to mention, oh great one… you weren't sure whether or not we should have taken a right or left all those turns ago. Did it ever occur to you that perhaps, we took the wrong turn?" She asked pointedly.

                "I don't make mistakes." He said strongly.

                "Well, apparently not until now. I refuse to continue walking in circles. You want to waste time go ahead, but I'm not going to when the babe's life is on the line." Psylocke stated.

                "I'm the leader of this team. You will follow my orders." He commanded.

                "I'll show you whose orders I follow…" Psylocke muttered angrily as her psi-knife began to form.

                "Stop arguing!" Phoenix interrupted the two of them. Cyclops immediately looked at his wife, as Psylocke continued to glare at her 'leader'.

                "We are apparently lost; I cannot get a signal from anyone and there's still a child to be found. So, I suggest that we don't lose our minds and turn on each other along the way." Phoenix practically ordered.

                "Fine, but we're not taking that path again." Psylocke said firmly.

                "Then, we won't. We'll go right this time." Phoenix instructed.

                "Right it is." Cyclops agreed.

                The three took the right path and continued walking. However, they hadn't been walking for more than a minute when they faced two doors. "Dammit! Now, what the hell do we do?" Psylocke asked exasperatingly.

                "No choice but to choose one." Phoenix concluded.

                "Which one?" Psylocke queried as the last bit of patience in her disappeared entirely.

                "Cyclops?" Phoenix queried.

                "Right one." Cyclops decided and opened the door. The three of them walked through, and as soon as the door slammed shut behind them, the lights flickered on.

                "Scott… I think you chose the wrong door."

                "Bloody hell!"

                "Oh shit."

-xoxo-

                "Bobby Drake! You are a dead man!" ShadowCat yelled after her Popsicle-like teammate.

                "I didn't do anything except saved your life!" Iceman responded.

                "Save my life? You call freezing the whole damn floor which only made me fall while those…those… things were chasing us saving my life? You left me back there!" ShadowCat screamed.

                "Excuse me! If it weren't for my freezing, we would have been eaten alive by those things!" He argued.

                "Well, I would have been if it weren't for that fact that NightCrawler came back for me. At least he knows the definition of what a 'team' is." She huffed.

                "Well if you weren't so goddamn slow…."

                "Vill you two just shut it?!?" NightCrawler interrupted the two with his own frustrated outburst.

                The other two members of team number two quickly obliged to their field commander's demand. "Good and keep your voices down. Ve don't want our position t'be given away. Now, ve got my nephew to find so let's march on."

                The three teammates continued down the narrow dark path, not having a clue where they were heading nor what lied ahead waiting for them. However, it only took three minutes to find out. Walking into the middle of a considerably vast open space where dim light was provided by the numerous candles that lined the walls. There were about five paths leading out of the circular opening or more accurately, there were five paths that led into the circular opening.

                "Holy Crap!"

                "Damn…"

                "Oh God…"

-xoxo-

                "So, Cajun… when shall I expect the ambush?" Wolverine asked snidely as he trudged behind Rogue who was following Gambit. The three of them made up team number three; however, the suspicion and tension that existed between the three of them would make it hard to believe that they were a part of the same unit.

                "Just say de word and I'll blow y' up…" Gambit retorted.

                _Snikt._

                "Knew ya were a trader…"

                "Just try me…"

                "Logan, put the claw away! Remy, put that card away! Ah'm not up for any of this bullshit! We ain't gonna waste anytime with you idiots playing barbarian here. Ah wanna find my baby, now!" Rogue ordered and the two older men quickly obliged.

                "Good. Now, where do we go, Gambit?" She asked impatiently.

                "We turn left, chere." He responded.

                "Fine, then let's turn left." She resolved and quickly took lead of the search.

                After five minutes of walking, they finally reached an opening. Though, of course a dilemma would meet them there as the opening split down into two different paths.

                "Which one do we take?" Wolverine growled his question.

                "We take….I'm not sure." Gambit replied uneasily. He was puzzled by this new development. He had thought he remembered the passageway correctly. Northwest entrance, left, right, right, left, door, left and it was supposed to take them straight there. There was not supposed to be another division of tunnels.

                "What do ya mean ya ain't sure, Gambit?" Rogue asked anxiously.

                "Just give me a second…"

                "There isn't a second to give, Cajun. I knew you were a traitor. Don't remember which way leads us to our deaths eh?" Wolverine jeered.

                "Shut up, Logan! C'mon, Remy… remember." Rogue pleaded.

                "I…I can't. We're gonna have t'split up." Gambit answered dejectedly.

                "Right… so, you can take the path to freedom while we go to our deaths?" Wolverine asked in disbelief.

                "Look homme, my son's life is at stake here. So, shut the fuck up and do what you came to do which is to find _my_ son." Gambit snarled at the stout man.

                "He's better off without a father like you…"

                "ENOUGH! Ah mean it! If ah hear one more word out of the both of ya, ah'm gonna kill ya both." Rogue hissed and the two shut their mouths in obedience.

                 "Now, ah want my baby in my arms by the end of this miserable day. We're gonna split up. Ah'll go left, ya two take the right." She ordered.

                "Non! Y' ain't gonna go down dere yourself. Wolverine will go wit' y'. I'll go alone." Gambit differed.

                "Like hell ya are. Ain't gonna let ya go that easily, Cajun." Wolverine said gruffly.

                "Well, eit'er we all take de same path which will only waste time or we separate and take both paths where at least one of us will have de chance of finding de petite. Since I know dis place better t'an de two of y', I can handle myself better. So, y' two go down de right. I'll take de left. Dis way, we'll find de petite." Gambit reasoned.

                "He's right, Wolverine. We'll cover all our bases this way." Rogue agreed.

                "If he doesn't change sides… that is." Wolverine muttered underneath his breath although Gambit heard his words. However, Gambit was smart enough to not snap back at his 'teammate' since he knew that time was running short for his son.

                "It's decided den. I go left, y'two go right." Gambit concluded definitely.

                Rogue and Wolverine nodded in agreement and Gambit was about to go down his chosen path when he was stopped by Rogue's hand on his wrist. He turned around and even in the dimly light corridor, he could still make out the watery emerald eyes of hers. "Oui, chere?"

                "Be careful, Remy." She whispered.

                "I will. Y' do de same too." He whispered in return.

                "And…find him." She said ever so softly.

                Intuitively, he embraced her and held her for a few brief bittersweet moments. Kissing the top of her head, he whispered, "I will."

                "Can we get this show on the road now?" Wolverine asked edgily. The two former lovers pulled apart and after one more glance at each other, they all headed down their destined trails.

-xoxo-

                The sound of his light steps were completely covered by the endless French curses he muttered not so quietly. He had been walking for fifteen minutes and there was not an end in sight. Impatience and frustration was all he felt at the moment and the two were not a great combination for a Cajun who was known to have a raging temper.

                Though, a few steps more, he was given the chance to finally take out his anger. Coming at him in three different directions were three genetically engineered mutants. The one with crooked eyes and nose was forming fireballs with his hands and blasted a couple towards his direction. Gambit leapt away in time and dodged both fireballs. However, he had inadvertently hurled himself in the direction of the spiky mutant who shot ten sharp spears from his ten fingernails. Jumping away from the spikes, Gambit wasn't so lucky this time as the tenth spike hit him square in the shoulder blade.

                "Fuck!" He screamed out in pain and reached for a card in his pockets. He charged it and chucked it at the extended nails. The card exploded and caused three of the ten nails to snap off. The mutant quickly retreated his nails as he dealt with the unfamiliar sensation that was known to most people as pain.

                Suddenly, feeling his neck being strangled, he realized that the third mutant had stretched his arms all the way from the other side of the room. Slightly panicking now, Gambit quickly grabbed another card and threw it in the direction of the mutant. The stretchy mutant easily dodged it by curving his limber body out of the way.

                "Merde!" Gambit exclaimed but when he noticed the fiery mutant aiming for his heart, he knew his way out. Using his last ounce of strength, he threw his body forwards and up. The fireball whizzed right under him and hit the elastic mutant straight in its heart. His body started burning as his skin burned a gooey creamy white. His arms melted off his body and Gambit freed himself from its claws.

                Thinking fast, Gambit reached for three cards and threw it in the direction of the fire-making mutant. All three cards hit the mutant and the explosions blew the vital parts of him up. He crumbled to the floor and again, Gambit felt a shot of pain rip through his back. Knowing that the spiky mutant had hit him again, he reached for another card. However, another spear-like nail pierced his right hand. Keeping in his cry of agony, his left hand attempted for a card. But, once again, his other hand was pierced as well.

                Bleeding in four different spots, Gambit wasn't about to give up just yet. Knowing it was a long shot, he proceeded with his desperate plan anyway and it paid off. All three nails that were still embedded in his skin began glowing the charged crimson. Panicking, the mutant retreated his nails, which benefited only Gambit himself. Rolling out of the way, the three explosions simultaneously went off and the spiky mutant was blown up to pieces.

                Blood flowed out of his wounds and he was gasping for breath, but he began running down the corridor. Hearing footsteps following him, he found a door and without hesitation or thought, he opened it and entered the room. Slamming the door shut, he tried to catch his breath while attempting to ignore the burning sensation in his wounds.

                However, his bleeding wounds and his need for breath were all forgotten by one simple word.

                "Hiya!" A small high voiced greeted him.

                Gambit looked up and before him, merely fifteen feet away was a small boy sitting on top of a table. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Jeremy as he sprinted across the room and embraced the boy in a matter of seconds.

                Managing to pull himself away from the child long enough to examine the physical being of the boy, he stopped mid-way in his procedure as soon as he looked into his son's eyes. Green on black – emeralds embedded in a velvet night. He had always thought that Rogue's eyes were the most beautiful he had ever seen, but she was undoubtedly second to their son now. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes as he embraced his son once more.

                The boy, not understanding the severity of the situation nor recognizing the man hugging him, simply hugged the man back. Though he couldn't comprehend the life-changing moment that was happening to the both of them, he sensed that the man embracing him was somehow supposed to be there for him.

                Pulling himself away for a brief second again, he asked his son, "Are y'okay, petite?"

                "Not petite. J'remy LeBeau." The boy declared proudly.

                The tears hanging on the corner of Remy's eyes fell now, as the overwhelming wondrous feeling of fatherhood sunk in. "I know." He managed to say.

                "What's your name?" The boy asked curiously.

                "Remy. Remy LeBeau." He replied.

                Jeremy began giggling upon hearing Remy's answer. "Remy. J'remy. LeBeau. LeBeau. Almost same." He explained through his giggling at the amusing coincidence in their names, though of course he didn't know that it wasn't a coincidence at all.

                "Glad you're okay, petite." Remy said softly and kissed the boy's forehead.

                Jeremy stopped giggling as he finally realized the colour of the wet liquid the man was leaving on him. "Ya not okay. Ya bleeding." He pointed out with his eyes slightly wide with fear.

                "Remy's fine. But how about we get of here?" Remy asked and scooped the boy up in his arms.

                "Okay. It's cold in here." Jeremy agreed and rubbed his arms to emphasize his point.

                "You two are not going anywhere." An icy callous voice said from behind them.

                Recognizing the voice immediately, Jeremy only consolidated Remy's suspicion when the boy cried loudly, "MISTER!"

                Whipping around while tightening his hold on his son, Remy came face to face to the man who was the reason for all the torment that led up to that very moment. The sly sadistic smile, the hard malicious red eyes, Sinister still looked exactly the same as Remy had remembered.

                "That's right, Jeremy. It's Mister Sinister. Where do you think you are going, my child?" Sinister asked.

                "He isn't your child!" Gambit snapped.

                "That isn't the point, Gambit. Yet, we meet again, though of course this was all not of pure coincidence. I did put a lot of planning into this whole operation and trust me, you're not going to go this easily." Sinister assured him.

                "I'm leaving here wit' my boy now and dat's all dere is to it." Gambit stated firmly.

                "I don't think so, Gambit."

                And those were the last words Gambit heard before it all went black.

-----------------------------------------


	12. Experitments gone awry

Y'all know the dilly yo, that I don't own these characters, marvel or anything else. Blah blah blah

**Author's Note:** Okay, I think I'm not meant to write action stories/sequences. They're just not my thing. This story is definitely getting on my nerves, but hoorah, there's only one more chapter to go. Then, it's back to the sequel, which is so different from this story. Anyway, my other stories will be updated as soon as… well, they're written. I don't so much want to update **Shouldn't Be So Hard** since, gosh… it's such a depressing story. Aiya! And **Breaking the Habit is fun… **but aiya, it's getting tough to write. Anywho, I don't know why I'm blabbing about those other ones. Back to this one. I really tried with this chapter, combining two former chapters into one. Though, I have to say that I was incredibly tempted to just used the old chapters, but I didn't. But besides all that, I watched **Scarface **yesterday… and I think I'm in love with Al Pacino, the young one anyway. Read, review and enjoy!

**Servgrlx, Star-of-Chaos, T.:**_ Thanks for reviewing y'all! Much appreciated and loved always! _

**Ludi:** Oh Ludi, my dear, gosh, you don't have to stick with this story til the end. It's a rather horrific story, in my honest opinion. I don't even think I've kept the characters to their true selves. Not to mention, I have no clue how Sinister's personality really is. And the sequel… gosh, you might hate that one all together considering it's one big soap opera. Completely different from this one. Geez.. I don't want you to read all that and there goes my reputation in your eyes…LoL. Yes, I'm being a little melodramatic here, but I always am as you can tell by my stories. And the break-up… thinking about it makes me depressed. I already sign the petition, I was number 100! Got my brothers to sign it too, though they could really care less. Anywho, one more chapter to go, dearie. Don't hesitate with any criticism you have! It'll always be appreciated. **Slickboy444:** Yes, I haven't forgotten about **The Wedding. **It will be finish for you! I can assure you that much, just can't give you a time regarding it's end. **Alyxandria:** Glad you enjoyed the last chapter, I had a tougher time with it. I think I'm beginning to despise this story. Like the first time wasn't bad enough. Anywho, hope you stick with it til the end, but if you don't, it's completely understandable! **Kitsu LeBeau:** I hate cliffhangers too, so I updated just for you and for the fact that I want this story to end. Cheers! **Ishandahalf:** I know, let's get rid of stupid perm Gambit! Though… Ultimate X-Men will be the only place I find solace while Gambit and Rogue are messed up once again in the other comics… say it isn't so, ISH! I can't handle that kind of drama! And I agree with Sinister's rhyming name. I never thought about it until you pointed it out, but it is rather ridiculous. And one more chapter to go…. Blah. **Demiducky25:** LoL… I'm sure you know what happens to our hero considering the sequel is posted. Anywho, enjoy and Marvel are full of idiots who have nothing to do but break up our favorite couple of all time! Gosh… I'm sad just thinking about it. Grr.. off to read X-treme X-Men 40 to get some peace of mind now.

**A Different Way To A Perfect Ending **

_Careless deals. _

_ Blind purposes. _

_ Unimaginable deaths. _

_ It all caught up with him._

-xoxo-

The faint giggling of a child, the blistering bright lights, the dying of the hysterical screaming, and yet, the room felt as cold as the freezing white merely three years ago. Having a difficult time opening his eyes, he could feel the numbness in his arms and legs. When his eyes finally flashed open, it took a few seconds for him to adjust to the bright light that encompassed the room.

"Wake-up now?" The familiar high-pitched voice questioned him from below.

He looked down and standing before him was a boy – his boy - Jeremy. A breath of relief was released as he attempted to take the boy in his arms. However, considering the fact that his arms were tied together behind the chair he was sitting on, it was an impossible task to do. He attempted to stand up instead, but once again, he found his legs were bounded to the legs of the chair.

"No mo' sleepy?" The little boy drawled and looked up at him with curious green on black eyes.

"No more, petite." He answered this time while he struggled with his binds.

"Good. Momma not okay." The boy said and pointed to the left. Remy's eyes followed the boy's direction and saw that Rogue was dangling from the wall, chained to it. Her eyes were closed and she looked unconscious.

"Rogue! Rogue!" He cried, but he received no answer from her.

"Shh… uh-oh. Mister come back now." Jeremy said. He, then, turned around and walked back to the front of the room where a crib was located next to a throne. The little boy stealthily crawled back into it, and sat still.

Suddenly, Remy could feel a door behind him open and the hair of his back stood up naturally. The ominous figure hovered behind him for a few seconds before he glided towards his throne. Taking his time to seat himself in the grand chair, Sinister's demon eyes were completely focused on his former employee.

"What did y' do t'her?" Remy growled his question as his own crimson eyes burned angrily.

"My my… you do seem to care quite a bit for those who leave you behind to die." Sinister commented instead of answering Remy's question.

"Answer de question." Remy demanded.

Once again, instead of answering him, Sinister turned to Jeremy who was sitting still in the crib next to him. "So, how is my favorite project doing?" He asked slowly, in order to torture Remy even more.

"He is NOT your project!" Remy exclaimed.

Ignoring him, Sinister continued to press Jeremy to answer. "Well, my child, are you going to tell Mr. Sinister how you are doing."

"HE IS NOT YOUR CHILD!" Remy screamed loudly as he struggled harder to get out of his binds.

"There isn't any point to struggle, Gambit. You won't be able to escape. Plus, you have the best seat in the house. Don't you want to enjoy the show?" Sinister questioned in a sickening sweet cold voice.

"What do y' have plan dis time, y' bastard?" Remy snarled.

"Watch your language, Gambit. You wouldn't want this child to start cursing like a raging idiot by the time he's three, do you?" Sinister reprimanded slightly.

He was rather tempted to respond with a string of curses when he looked over at the crib and realized that although a lunatic, Sinister did have a point. So, he simply kept his silence instead while glaring at the man intensely.

"Now that you have calmed down, I bet you're wondering just where does everyone else fit in this great show I'm presenting. Rogue is… let's just say under a neutralizer and apparently unconscious. Next we have, Mr. and Mrs. Summers off to your left." Sinister said, and as soon as he said that, a light turned on and chained together right up against the wall were Cyclops and Phoenix. The odd thing about it was that Remy noticed Cyclops did not have his visor on, which meant as soon as he opened his eyes, he would shoot full blast straight into his wife's face.

"Cyclops? Jean?" Remy queried loudly.

"Remy? Oh god… you're okay." Jean said with a sigh as she tried to adjust her eyes to the light.

Rather than answering her vocally, he attempted to send a telepathic message. However, she wasn't responding and Sinister provided the explanation as if right on cue. "Her powers are neutralized as well, Gambit. You know I'm not a fool. However, your leader over there does not have his power neutralized. It's more interesting this way, don't you agree?" Sinister asked sadistically.

"Where are de ot'ers?" Remy answered with a question of his own.

"See for yourself." Sinister responded, and right on cue, the series of lights turned on and dangling fifty feet around him were the rest of the X-Men. All were chained, except for ShadowCat and Kurt who were contained in a gigantic plastic box that was undoubtedly acting as a power neutralizer. All of them were awake and alert, but completely helpless.

"Y' ain't gonna win." Remy stated bitterly as he made eye contact with the madman.

"Oh… but it looks like I'm the one holding all the cards right now, Gambit. And within a few minutes, you'll know what I mean. Wouldn't he, Jeremy?" Sinister directed his question to the bewildered little boy.

"Jeremy?" Rogue said groggily.

"Rogue? Rogue?! Y' hear me, chere?" Remy asked loudly.

"Remy?" She said as she adjusted her eyes to the light with great effort.

"Momma!" Jeremy cried happily once he witnessed Rogue's wakening.

"Jeremy? Baby?" She responded frantically as she forced her eyes to look in her son's direction. As soon as she made contact with those pair of green eyes so like her own, she pulled on her chains as she tried to get to her boy.

"Jeremy! Momma's coming, baby!" She cried as she tried to use her incredible strength to pull herself from the wall, but to no avail.

"What are ya doin' t' him, ya monster??" She asked as she continued to twist and turn.

"It's useless, Rogue. Your powers are neutralized. Struggle all you want, but you will not be able to free yourself." Sinister told her.

"What are ya gonna do t'him? Let my baby go!" She demanded.

"But your child has so much potential in him. More than you will ever realized. Jeremy, here, is practically a one-man army." Sinister began.

"Oh… fuck you! Y' ain't doing anything to him! Don't touch him!" Remy cried as he realized the intentions of Sinister.

"I don't have to touch the child. All I have to do is give him this simple pill in my hand. Where I failed with Nathan Christopher, I shall succeed with Jeremy." Sinister said tauntingly in the direction of Cyclops.

"You fucking bastard! Don't touch that child, or I'll show you how it's like to have everything ripped away from you!" Cyclops threatened menacingly, while his eyes remained shut due to the fear that he would kill his wife with one blast.

"I wouldn't be so quick to make threats, Cyclops. Thinking about it now, I have completely misjudged your character… well, at least your genes. I would have thought that the mixture of yours and Ms. Grey's would have created the most powerful mutant. Yet, Nathan was nothing but the biggest failure of all my experiments. He proved to be too weak, almost pitiful. But, Jeremy will be otherwise. He will not fail me." Sinister explained.

"Ya are not touching my baby! Remy, don't let him hurt our son!" Rogue screamed.

"Gambit won't be able to prevent that, Rogue. It's foolish to think anyone can help this boy at this point, well, besides me that is. And we are going to help him, I can assure you that. With your genes mixed with Gambit's, Jeremy will literally become a one-man army. Invulnerability, super strength, power to make explosives, ability to fly and not to mention, the ability to leech the powers of others. Yes, Jeremy will become my most successful experiment as soon as we trigger it all with this pill in my hands." Sinister explained dazedly, as he was seemingly preoccupied with envisioning the glory he would receive.

"If dis has t'do wit' me and our deal all dose years ago, I'll do whatever y' want. Just don't hurt de child." Gambit swallowed his pride and pleaded.

"Aren't you rather egotistical, Gambit? Still haven't changed, I see. This has nothing to do with you and all to do with Jeremy. There is nothing you can offer me that will make me change my mind… unless…." Sinister trailed off.

"Unless what?? I'll do whatever needs t'be done. Just let de petite go!" Gambit insisted.

"Are you sure you're willing to handle the consequences of dealing with me again, Gambit?" Sinister asked.

"Dere is no choice. What do y'need done dis time?" Gambit queried.

"Take de pill." Sinister simply answered.

"Quoi?"

"You heard me, take the pill. See, Gambit. You have always been a mystery to me. All that I have studied about you, I still cannot quite conclude the make-up of your genes. But, from what I have learned, I do believe that there is perhaps a second mutation in you, just waiting to be festered. So, take the pill and quell my curiosity." Sinister stated.

"Fine. Give me de damn pill."

"Gladly."

"REMY! No, don't take it!" Rogue cried.

He looked over at her frightened eyes with his own defeated ones. "Ain't got a choice, chere." He simply replied.

Sinister walked over to him, a round pill in hand. Gambit glanced at all his former teammates who were witnessing the moment in dead silence, none of them wanting to object to his decision because to them, it was the right one. Gambit's eyes landed on Jean's for a few seconds and then ever so casually, he rolled his eyes towards Cyclops; hoping with all hope that Jean somehow understood what he was getting at. It was a long shot, but then again, Jean was incredibly perceptive even without her telepathy. Maybe it was false hope on his part, but he had faith that she could surely read his body language and his true intentions.

After all, she wasn't called the Phoenix for nothing.

She turned back to Scott, and whispered ever so quietly, "Scott, I need you to turn forty-five degrees to the left and open your eyes when I tell you to."

"I can't. I'll hurt you." Cyclops refused.

"Trust me, you won't. As soon as I tell you when, do as I say." Jean pressed harder.

"Jeanie, I'm not going to hurt you." Cyclops refused once more.

"Do you trust me?" Jean asked sternly.

"You're my wife, of course I trust you." He answered with the utmost confidence.

"Then do as I say, Scott. When I say 'now', that's when you do it. Got it?"

"Got it."

Quickly turning back to Gambit, she was about to give him some sort of signal that she understood, but he was already glaring into the demonic eyes of Sinister.

"Open up, Gambit." Sinister ordered in a sadistically happy voice.

"Fuck y', homme." Gambit growled before he stuck his tongue out. Dropping the round pill on the pink surface, Gambit withdrew his tongue back into his mouth. Sinister looked at him anxiously, waiting for that gulp to happen. But it never did.

Instead, Gambit quickly snapped his head to Jean and spat the charged pill at her chains. The explosion broke her free as she screamed, "SCOTT NOW!"

Cyclops turned his head forty-five degrees to the left as his wife instructed and opened his eyes. The optic blast exerted from his eyes hit Sinister square in the chest, making him fly fifty feet back and landed straight into the wall. Jean rapidly got to work as she used her telekinesis to free Cyclops, Gambit and Wolverine. As soon as they were free, Gambit ran towards his son and picked the boy up while Wolverine worked on freeing the rest of his teammates.

"You are not going to get away with this!" Sinister bellowed as he regained his composure. He flew high up to the air and stared down at the released X-Men now. Suddenly, from thirty directions all around the group, genetically engineered mutants of all kind were released and started attacking. Rogue pounded her way through two of them as she flew full speed to Gambit and Jeremy in the middle of the room, where Sinister was also hovering above them.

Throwing a few charged cards at Sinister, Gambit passed the boy into his mother's arms. Rogue hugged the boy tightly as the relieved tears fell. The boy hugged her back with as much intensity for it had been too long since he had felt his mother's touch.

"Chere! GET HIM OUT OF HERE!" Gambit interrupted the mother-son moment, as he continued to hold off Sinister.

Pulled back to the chaos around her, Rogue flew to the ceiling with Jeremy in her tight grasp. With one arm up and the hand formed into a fist, she blasted through the ceiling and soared back out to the surface. The wind was violent, as Storm had landed the Blackbird a few feet from the opening. Opening the landing, Storm stepped out while Rogue climbed into the Blackbird with the child. Hovering above the opening, Storm quickly began manipulating the wind to lift the X-Men out.

Inside the broken down headquarter, Gambit was still fighting with Sinister though, the tables had definitely changed. Sinister was grasping Gambit by the neck with an invisible force and slowly squeezing the life out of him.

"You ruined my plan, Gambit. You're going to die for this." Sinister stated angrily as he squeezed tighter.

Trying to fight the invisible hand off, Gambit cursed profusely in response, though the lack of air was proving to be difficult for him to do such a thing. All of a sudden, the hold was released and he was able to gasp for air once more. He looked up and saw that Wolverine had pounded on Sinister from behind and was stabbing his claws into him feverously.

"You fucking bastard! Trying to hurt that Kid! I'll show you what real pain is, you fucking shithead!" Wolverine screamed with every jab.

With the help of Storm's wind manipulation and Jean's telekinesis, the X-Men were all out of the underground headquarter, except for Wolverine and Gambit.

Gambit ran towards Wolverine and held him back from beating on Sinister. "We gotta go, ami." Gambit said and looked up at Storm. Storm quickly used her powers to lift Wolverine in the air and floated him up to the surface while Jean used her powers to start lifting Remy.

Sinister was up on his feet again, as his crimson eyes burned with fury. With one blast, he hit Gambit squared on the chest. Jean lost his hold on him and Gambit fell to the hard cold floor.

"You're not going anywhere, Gambit!" Sinister growled and began throwing various broken objects at the opening, preventing any of the X-Men from attempting to lift Gambit out again.

Propping himself up slowly with the help of his arms, he could taste a mixture of sweat and blood on the edge of his lips. His ruby eyes burned intensely as he looked Sinister straight in the eyes while getting on his feet.

"Ya wanna tango, y' piece of shit? Fine. Den, we tango." Gambit snarled and threw five charged cards at Sinister who dodged the explosives easily.

"This is what you always do, Gambit. You never realized your potential and you must always ruin others along with your own. I'm not going to let you anymore though. Your life ends today!" Sinister cried as the walls of the headquarters began to rumble.

And within seconds, the entire underground headquarter caved in.

------------------------------------


	13. Always

Y'all know the dilly yo, that I don't own these characters, marvel or anything else. Blah blah blah

**Author's Note: ** I'm done! I'm done! I'm done! Fine, I only edited this once, if there are mistakes, I'll catch 'em later, but I'm too happy now, I'm done! WHOOPIE!

**Ish:** Fine, you can kick me in the head. LoL. I give you that honour! Thanks for always sticking with me through thick and thin…LoL. Sounds like we're married, but nonetheless… I'll try to work something out for you in **Shouldn't Be So Hard**. No promises though. Ohh… just to say, you're so super duper uber cool! **DemonicGambit: ** I want to squeeze Jeremy too! Gosh… if kids were only this cute… anywho, Sinister can't die, it would have just been a waste of Remy's energy. But, thanks for all those lovely reviews! Hope you like the sequel… it's up! Much love to you! **TheDreamerLady:** No more cliffys! It's the end of the road now! Hope you enjoy it. Thanks for reviewing, doll. Awww.. and thanks for the compliment. Makes me feel oh-so special =) **slickboy444:** Okay, and we're back to working on **The Wedding. ** I'd promise I'd finish it for you and for you, I will! So no worries! I'll start working on the sequel right away… just for you =) **Sevgrlx:** Well, you're welcome. I like to update. And thank you for reviewing! **Alyx: **Okay, another update for the lady! All you have to do… is update for me now =) I would love to read the new one which is the prequel and the crazy one with Rogue getting shot. Love those stories. Ooo… and hope you had no regrets sticking with this one 'til the end. Hope I didn't disappoint, but if I did, I want you to say, 'ANGY, that was a pretty darn lousy ending!" And then, I'll write a new one just for you which I'll send it to you. LoL… ehh, I'm so hyped because it's done! **Ludi:** My dear dear Ludi, how's the weather treating ya? Hopefully, it's wonderful. Anywho, I'm very hyped at the moment… finally ended this story (again)! YAY FOR ME! Ohhh… and it's 3 in the morning and I really need to sleep but I have so much energy. Perhaps, I'll catch a rerun of **Saved By the Bell**. LoL… sorry, I make no sense. I still say you draw a hell of a sexy Remy! Gosh.. you and your crazy drawings. I showed my friend your deviantart site along with your sister's and brother's, and my friend said you have a crazy family! Truly… you guys have mad skills! Gosh, I'm talking so black now. Anywho, forget that. Umm… thanks for reading this and all your critiques. I think when we weren't friends, you used to lay it on me tough! In all honesty, I kind of missed that… though, I do like the whole polite reviews you give me regarding my horrible English. Geez… I don't even know what I'm saying anymore. I need sleep! OHH! And you have to watch SCARFACE! Crap… Al Pacino so hot! AND THE GODFATHER! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU HAVEN't WATCHED THE GODFATHER! Here's the deal, I'll watch 'Scent of A Woman' and you watch either of The Godfather Pt. 1, 2 or Scarface? Deal? Deal! Okay, I'll end this now. I'm getting a little out of hand. Much love to you as usual, bella!

** A Different Way To A Perfect Ending**

                Examining him thoroughly, a mixture of joyous and relieved tears dispelled from her eyes. Physically, he was seemingly fine. Emotionally, he was seemingly fine. Being no older than two years, he could not comprehend the seriousness of his abduction. Nonetheless, she couldn't keep her arms from wrapping around his little body as she pressed him against her own while murmuring soothing sweet nothings into his ear.

                In the distance, she heard a loud rumbling and then a gigantic crash.

                She would have continued to ignore it if it wasn't for the fact that the little boy in her arms asked, "Remy?"

                That was when she was brought back to reality. Frantically flying out of the Blackbird with child still in hand, she was now looking at a caved in hole with her solemn teammates standing around it – all gazing at the mound, none too sure about what to do next.

                "Remy?" She queried as she scanned the area intensively and flew straight to air, still with her child in her arms.

                It was Storm who would take the initiative to fly right next to the worried white-striped hair woman. "Rogue, please come down with Jeremy first." The weather goddess requested calmly.

                "Where is he?" Rogue ignored the question to ask her own.

                "You might hurt the child. Please join us on the ground first." Storm requested once more.

                Reminded of Jeremy and then realizing the altitude she was flying at, Rogue settled back to the ground where the rest of her teammates were gathered. Grasping Jeremy still, she asked her teammates in a trembling voice, "Where is he?"

                "He's gone, Rogue. I'm…we're sorry." Jean finally spoke up, while all the others looked away from Rogue.

                "No…. he's not gone. Ah don' care. Ah'm not losing him again… we're not losing him again!" Rogue said and slipped Jeremy into Jean's arms. Then, she flew to the mound of debris and began digging through it, tossing pieces of all sizes over her shoulders.

                "Ah'm not gonna leave ya again, so ya ain't leaving me." She mumbled as she worked hurriedly.

                A steady hand landed on her right shoulder and gave her a tight squeeze. "Darlin', there ain't no use. He could never survive that." A rather soft gruff voice said.

                Whipping back and slapping his hand away with her arm, she snarled through her tears, "Don't give me that bullshit! He's alive! Ah know he is!"

                Shaking his head slightly, he was speechless – not a word came to mind. So, instead of responding, he began digging through the rubble with his unbreakable claws. Rogue quickly turned back to the task at hand, and the rest of the team quickly joined in on the rescue mission.

                One hour.

                Two hours.

                Three hours gone.

                And she was still frantically searching and rummaging through the massive pile. However, she was the only one. The rest of the team had given up hope. Even if they found him, he would have died due to the lack of air. There just didn't seem to be any chance of finding him alive.

                "Meine schwester, he's gone." Kurt stated quietly as he walked up behind his sister.

                "Kurt, ah don' need that right now." She dismissed him and continued to search.

                "Jeremy's tired, it's time to go home now." Kurt advised gently.

                "Kurt, ah said ah don' need that right now. Take my baby home then, make sure he's okay, but ah'm coming home wit' his daddy." Rogue stated stubbornly.

                Not quite sure of what else to say, Kurt simply turned around and walked back to the rest of the team.

                "Don't do this to me, Cajun. Not when we're so damn close…" She mumbled as the tears she held back for the last few hours, came tumbling down her cheeks.

                Flying around the area, she began digging at another section. "Our baby needs ya… ah need ya…" She murmured as she threw huge pieces of steel away.

                Then as quiet as a mouse, she heard a light gasp from beneath her. Doubling her efforts, she cried, "Remy? Remy? Can ya hear me?"

                Another gasp could be heard, this time louder as she dug feverously. "Oh god… please be okay."

                The breathing got louder as she threw away the rubble quicker. Then, she saw it – a hand gripping a piece of jagged wood.

                "REMY!" She cried and ripped through all the debris. Within seconds, she saw him. He was lying in a hole and breathing heavily. His other hand was rested on his bleeding side and his eyes were closed. She snatched him quickly and flew him out of the hole. Laying him down carefully on the ground, the rest of the team gathered around the two. Rogue brushed the dirt and hair away from his face as her own tears fell and landed on his cheeks.

                "Remy? Can ya hear me?" She asked softly.

                Slowly, he opened his eyes and as soon as she saw the pair of rubies staring straight into her own emeralds, relief was heard all around her. "Thank god you're okay. Don't do that t'me again." She muttered and stroked his cheek with the back of her gloved hand.

                With tremendous difficulty, he opened his mouth and said slowly, "I… knew…y' wouldn't…leave again."

                "Never again, sugah. Never again."

-xoxo-

                Dressed in a yellow sundress, she walked down to the medical lab with a vase of flowers in hand. When she reached the door, turning the knob ever so slowly, she slipped into the room. Like usual, he was sleeping with extensive bandages all over his body. For the past three days, he had been in a coma, but she was grateful that he was for the other possibility was something she knew would be completely unbearable.

                Placing the vase on the bedside table, she took a seat in the chair next to his bed. Feeling a slight groove in the back of the chair, she smiled slightly at the fact. For as long as he had been down there, she had basically been there alongside with him. There were the odd hours she would pull herself away to sleep for a couple of hours on a bed or to take care of their son. But most of the time, she sat herself beside him, waiting for him to finally wake.

                Often, she would bring Jeremy with her who would spend an hour sitting quietly with her or he would play softly on the floor with the toys he brought with him. This morning, however, she had left Jeremy in the care of his uncle so she could have some time alone with her love. Touching him softly on his pale cheek, she kissed him lightly on the forehead.

                The sensation of her lips on his skin was incredible and she merely wished that he was awake to feel it too. It would seem that she was about to get her wish in a matter of minutes.

                Stirring slightly, he moved his head towards her. She pulled her hand back in surprise as she watched him cautiously. Once more, he moved his head slightly to the left as his hands closed up slowly. Not saying a word, she continued to watch him in amazed silence.

                Gradually, his eyelids lifted exposing his vibrant scarlet orbs. Blinking a few times, he adjusted his eyes to the yellow fluorescent light. "Rogue?" He queried in a low faint voice.

                "Remy, you're awake." Rogue stated joyously and took his hand into her own.

                "I t'ink so…" He said.

                "Let me get ya some water." She said and let go of his hand. Pouring him a glass, she quickly returned to her seat beside him. Pressing the button that raised his bed, he slowly tipped his head back as she brought the rim to his lips and poured it in gradually.

                He gulped it down and she placed the glass on the bedside table.

                "Chere?"

                "Mmhmm?"

                "Have y' always look dis beautiful?" He asked as he focused his eyes on her. She was practically glowing, and her hair was held back up in a simple up-do where loose strands of white escaped and framed her face. To him, she looked like an angel.

                She giggled lightly and said, "Ah'm glad ya haven't lost your charm."

                "Chere, we do have a son, right?" He asked out of the blue in a dead serious manner.

                Tears lined the corner of her eyes, as she replied, "Yeah, we do."

                "So, it's not a dream, right?"

                "No, sugah, he ain't a dream."

                "Good den. He'd been a pretty good dream t'ough, but I'd like t'have de real t'ing."

                Holding back the tears, Rogue didn't respond as she leaned over and kissed him gently on the lips. Pulling back from him, he looked at her with complete astonishment.

                "Since when can y' do dat?" He asked utterly bewildered.

                "For some time now. Got a lil' friend that helps me wit' it." She answered and lifted up her wrist to show him the bracelet.

                "Well… can y' do dat again?" He asked, still not convinced that such a simple bracelet could control her powers.

                Leaning in again, she kissed him lightly on the lips once more but slightly longer than before. When she broke the contact, he smiled meekly at her. "Let's do dat again."

                Chuckling at his blunt request, she responded, "We'll save some for later. So, how are ya feelin'?"

                "Can't really feel anyt'ing… how much morphine did Hank give me?" Remy asked curiously.

                "Considering the damage… quite a bit." Rogue replied.

                "Well… dat's good. How long have I been sleepin'?"

                "Three days straight."

                "Feels like forever."

                "Yeah, it does, sugah. We're glad you're back though. Couldn't be back soon enough." She commented.

                "Can I see him soon?" Remy asked.

                "Ah think he'll like that. Ah'll bring him down for lunch later, okay?" Rogue suggested.

                "Perfect…almost."

                "Almost?"

                "I want t'be a famille, chere. No more bullshit. No more games. Just une famille." Remy stated strongly as he attempted to sit up straight.

                "Remy… there's still so much…"

                "We'll work 'em out. But life's too short t'keep hurtin' de ones we love. And I don't want t'hurt y' anymore, chere. I just wanna love y' and Jeremy and dat's it." Remy interrupted her with his determined point.

                Unsure of what to say, she was rendered speechless because she knew that his proposal wasn't as simple as that. There were still so many unfinished conversations, and problems that needed resolutions. So, instead of answering, she simply leaned in and kissed him on the lips.

                That was a good enough 'yes' for him.

-xoxo-

                With the basket of clean clothes carried against her waist, she walked towards the bedroom when she happened to stop mid-step.

                "I'm Jeremy."

                "Papa's Jeremy."

                "Non petite, okay fine. You're Jeremy."

                "Non petite, okay fine. Jeremy's Jeremy."

                Making a left instead of a right, she turned into the living room and dropped the basket onto the ground. Leaning against the entranceway, she continued to watch her boys converse.

                "Non, petite. Listen t' Papa carefully."

                Placing his hand on his forehead, he saluted his father firmly and said, "Aye aye, Papa!"

                Rogue smiled at her son's playful attitude, and Remy said once more, "Repeat after Papa, I'm Jeremy."

                "Papa's Jeremy." The boy stated strongly in a serious manner.

                Rogue giggled at the interaction as Remy looked at her with a defeated face. He fell back onto the carpet as Jeremy chuckled with her mother. She walked over to him and seated herself next to beaten Remy. "Ya wanna tell me what ya were doin', sugah?"

                "Ohh… just tryin' teach."

                "Elaborate please."

                Hesitating, Remy replied slowly, "Teaching him not t'speak in t'ird person."

                Rogue burst out laughing upon hearing his explanation. Between her fits of laughter, she managed to comment, "But y' speak in third person all the time."

                "Remy… I know, but it ain't healt'y t'learn proper English dat way, non?" He replied as he closed his eyes.

                Jeremy crawled over to his father and climbed on top of his abdominal. Placing a chubby little hand on each of his father's face, he pressed his hand together and Remy's mouth opened to resemble that of a fish. Remy flickered his eyes open and stared into the green on black eyes of his son. Then, Jeremy stated loudly, "I'm J'remy!"

                As soon as he said it, the little boy giggled and rolled off his father's stomach. Rogue joined in on her son's laughter as Remy realized that he had just been had by a two and a half year old.

                "Why y' lil…." Remy said and quickly sat up straight. He snatched the giggling boy in his hands and began tickling him all over. "Papa'll give y' somet'in' t'laugh about… trickin' me like dat."

                The boy squealed with laughter as he tried unsuccessfully to fight off his father. To no avail, he quickly gave up and screamed, "Je suis desole! Je suis desole!"

                Remy immediately stopped tickling when he heard his son speak French. That simple act never ceased to amaze him of how incredible it felt to father a child, especially such a good-natured boisterous child like Jeremy. Sometimes, it was still hard for him to believe that this child had his blood running through his veins.

                Wrapping his short little arms around his father's muscular neck, Jeremy gave his father a big wet smack on the cheek. "Je t'aime, Papa." The boy said, for he knew that those were always the right words to say to his father in any circumstance.

                "Je t'aime aussi." Remy responded and gave his son a kiss on the cheek as well.

                "Give Momma a kiss before she needs t'fold some clothes." Rogue requested and held her cheek out to her son. However, Jeremy was a tad too slow as Remy gave her a big wet smack on the cheek instead. She scrunched up her face as she wiped her cheek. Glaring at Remy, he merely gave her a wink and turned back to their boy who was smiling as mischievously as his father.

                Rogue rolled her eyes and didn't bother responding to either of her boys. Feigning annoyance, she was actually extremely happy to know that Remy and Jeremy have been getting along so well the last couple of months since Remy assumed his role as Jeremy's father. It seemed that they were actually becoming a family, and that perhaps, this time she and Remy would finally get it right.

                "Momma! Wait!" The boy said and struggled to get out of his father's grasp. Remy let the child down and Jeremy ran towards his mother. She looked down at her boy with a curious brow arched, and asked, "What is it, baby?"

                "Got pretty present." Jeremy responded and began digging around in his pockets.

                He pulled out a marble, a penny, a used up tissue paper and an old lollipop that he tried to put back into his mouth, but Rogue took it away from him swiftly.

                Remy joined them now, as he looked at their boy with curiosity too. "What y' got dere, petite?"

                "Wait…oomph…almost…oui!" He said and pulled it out of his pocket.

                Presenting it to his mother, Rogue gasped at the sight of it. It was a round cut diamond ring and Jeremy grinned proudly while he held it up. "Pretty, Momma?"

                "Very, sugah." Rogue said in awe.

                Digging through his own pockets, Remy's eyes bulged as he realized that he was missing a certain piece of jewelry. "Why y' little t'ief!" Remy said and picked up the boy.

                Jeremy was giggling once more while Remy tickled him and took the ring from him.

                Rogue cleared her throat loudly and the boys stopped their horseplay. Recalling what he needed to do, Remy dropped his son on the floor and cleared his own throat. Getting down on one knee, he took Rogue's trembling hand into his own. "Dis is so not de way I planned dis, chere. It was supposed t'be romantic." He began.

                "Don't care about that stuff at all, sugah." Rogue responded as tears began falling already.

                "Well, den… I love y'. Spent too much time wit'out y'. I don't wanna waste anymore. Marry me, chere and make me de happiest homme alive." Remy said, keeping his speech short but oh so sweet.

                "Ya bet ya bottoms ah'd marry ya! Yes, Remy! Yes!" Rogue agreed enthusiastically. He slipped the ring onto her finger and stood up to kiss her passionately. With her arms around his neck, and his arms around her waist, the two pulled back for a few moments to enjoy the pure bliss of the moment.

                "Ah love ya."

                "Je t'aime aussi."

                Kissing her again, Remy was interrupted by a tugging at his pants. Without much of a look, he picked up Jeremy and Rogue kissed him happily on the cheeks. Seeing the jubilant smiles on his parents' faces, he turned to Remy and asked, "Family now?"

                "Family always."

**- La Fin- **


End file.
